Who Can Use Blue Lights ?

[Tonyrec]

We all see vehicles on the roads everyday using Blue Lights.
How many from the list of 14 below do you think are entitled to use them?

Police
Fire Brigade
Ambulance
Fire Salvage
Forestry Commission Fire Vehicles
Bomb Disposal
Naval Nuclear Monitoring
RAF Mountain Rescue Service
RAF Armourment Support
Blood Transfusion Service
HM Coastguard
Mine Rescue
RNLI Lifeboat Launcher
Human Tissue Transplant

You will be surprised !

[tallchris99]

All of them! But not all are allowed to break the speed limits or jump red lights.

[mcflurry]

Tonyrec said:

HM Coastguard RNLI Lifeboat Launcher

The scameras don't work on water

[tonyhetherington]

IAM magazine spoke about this. I don't recall the exact answer, but I'm sure it was as tallchris99 said above (i.e. can use blue lights but not everyone can break limits.....this does introduce confusion though!)

>> Edited by tonyhetherington on Monday 9th August 16:32

[wiggy001]

Tonyrec said:

Fire Brigade

Fire Brigade but no Max Power Brigade? Seem to see more of the latter with blue lights on breaking the speed limit

[V8 Archie]

Tony, you've missed the bike I saaw on the A12 yesterday. That had a blue light and siren. It could have passed for an unmarked plod bike (if there are such things) if it wasn't for the pillion passenger .

[bluesandtwos]

I agree all on that list can. There are a few others too.

[mel]

I've been entrusted with vehicles from 2 groups on that list in the past but the worrying bit was we were told that the blue lights "should" only be used in an emergency (or an exercise), both groups certainly abused the perk and when I first worked there the only training or qualification was to "sight" a full driving license and MoD drivers permit to which the group "emergency vehicles" was added, no test, no instruction, zippo.........In fairness this did change when I went to another job where the vehicles we drove came under the "Police" catagory and we did have to do a full days course, hammering round the hampshire country side with one of the proper plod instructors. Better but IMO still woefully inadequate for what we were doing.

[V6GTO]

I was on the A3 near Reynes Park yesterday when a VW Golf came hurtling up behind me with a blue flashing light in the lower centre of the windscreen. I thought " unmarked Bib " and got out of the way in plenty of time for them to go past me at (I guesstimate) about 90 -100 mph( 50 limit). I was really pissed to see a maxed car fly by with two baseball cap wearing 19 yearolds inside, the passenger holding a camera flashgun with blue paper over the lens. What's the penalty for this?. Martin.

[Tonyrec]

V6GTO said:

I was on the A3 near Reynes Park yesterday when a VW Golf came hurtling up behind me with a blue flashing light in the lower centre of the windscreen. I thought " unmarked Bib " and got out of the way in plenty of time for them to go past me at (I guesstimate) about 90 -100 mph( 50 limit). I was really pissed to see a maxed car fly by with two baseball cap wearing 19 yearolds inside, the passenger holding a camera flashgun with blue paper over the lens. What's the penalty for this?. Martin.

[bluesandtwos]

V6GTO said:

the passenger holding a camera flashgun with blue paper over the lens. What's the penalty for this?. Martin.

[xxplod]

You may be interested to know, HM Customs and Excise also use blue lights. Also, HM The Queen has them behind the grill of her state Rolls Royce (and other cars). Being as she is, The Queen, she is exempt from the law per se, and can therefore tell Safety Camera Partnerships to "get lawst."

[Peter Ward]

Her car has a grill in it? For the toast, or perhaps it's more of a griddle?

[Flat in Fifth]

Tonyrec said:

Forestry Commission Fire Vehicles

Not to forget "vehicles owned by local authorities and used from time to time for the purpose of fighting fires"

Oh all right, I know, nobody loves a smart ass.

[rviant]

Funny you should mention this Tony. Coming down the A1 from Newark on friday going slightly over 70 had just overtaken a numpty Vito who was right hand lane hogging. Saw an unmarked car approaching with lights flashing and slowed down and moved into the left lane.

They where stuck behind the vito for about 3 minutes with lights flashing, finally they had to undertake the lady driver who was unaware of anything going on and finally braked when the unmarked car was going past with sirens on. Some people just should not be on the road

Not sure what sort of car it was as, it was a dark zaffira with lights under the grill. about 20 minutes later the same car overtook me again with lights ablaze. could not see who was in it as it hard blacked out windows

[chrisgr31]

Flat in Fifth said:

Tonyrec said: Forestry Commission Fire Vehicles Not to forget "vehicles owned by local authorities and used from time to time for the purpose of fighting fires" Oh all right, I know, nobody loves a smart ass.

Odd you should mention that as I was crossing Ashdown Forest on my way into work this morning I saw a red Land Rover with a blue light on it. Looked to be like the ones used by East Sussex Fire Brigade for fighting foresr fires.

However it actually said Forest Ranger on it. The forest is owned by East Sussex County Council so that must explain why it is allowed a blue light

[Tafia]

Tonyrec said:

We all see vehicles on the roads everyday using Blue Lights. How many from the list of 14 below do you think are entitled to use them? Police Fire Brigade Ambulance Fire Salvage Forestry Commission Fire Vehicles Bomb Disposal Naval Nuclear Monitoring RAF Mountain Rescue Service RAF Armourment Support Blood Transfusion Service HM Coastguard Mine Rescue RNLI Lifeboat Launcher Human Tissue Transplant You will be surprised !

Tony chum,

Is it possble to tell, from the type of siren, what the emergency vehicle is.

I can often hear two-tones on the nearby A55 in N Wales. Some are a continuous rising and falling note followed by a more rapid change, almost a whooping sound and others are a distinct nah-nah, nah-nah

(no, not nah-nah, nah-nah-nah)

In any event, folks have been heard to say, "there go Brunstom's bandits again"

I guess sometimes it is ambulance or fire service.

Any difference between them?

[tigerbear]

Tafia said:

Is it possble to tell, from the type of siren, what the emergency vehicle is. I can often hear two-tones on the nearby A55 in N Wales. Some are a continuous rising and falling note followed by a more rapid change, almost a whooping sound and others are a distinct nah-nah, nah-nah (no, not nah-nah, nah-nah-nah) In any event, folks have been heard to say, "there go Brunstom's bandits again" I guess sometimes it is ambulance or fire service. Any difference between them?

down here in portsmouth there is hardly any difference bettween the two tones on are ambulances and the two tones on the local bib cars.
as for trumpton theirs are a slightly deeper tone then us

[xxplod]

Sorry if I beat Tonyrec to it but no is the answer in respect of sirens. At least is is nationally. Different forces buy different warning equipment for their vehicles, so you can get an array of chirps, wails etc... That said, at a local level, you do kind of get used to the equipment the local ambulance service has, and you can never mistake the fig horn fitted to a fire engine!

[Pigeon]

Don't they use those "four different siren sounds" chips you can get from Maplin? Be kind of amusing to swap the chip for a "four different gun sounds" one