Talk:Light bar

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Have I wrongly classed this article? If so, Please change it! Dep. Garcia ^{(Talk to Me)} 17:29, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Does anyone have any thoughts on the propper name for a lightbar that is constructed of multiple single beacons? I'm thinking of the Vector lightbar ([[1]] - which is a link to Federal Signal's page for the Vector) and the early light bars which consisted of a pair of beacons mounted on either side of a long bar, often with a siren speaker visible in the center. Would this be better discussed under 'beacons' or somewhere else? --Badger151 00:49, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Probably better discussed under beacons. Latlely i have been thinking about moving the "single beacon" section of the article out of the article and starting a new article with it, or placing it in a new article. Strictly speaking, single beacons are not lightbars because they do not meet the generally accepted image of the lightbar. TomStar81 04:47, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Contents 1 CA vehicle code, &c 2 Cleanup, reorg &c 3 Refactor? 4 Clarification on the term "lightbar" 4.1 Move page 5 Photos 6 Japan pic, Section? 7 NJ EMT's vehicle

[edit] CA vehicle code, &c

I've removed the information pertaining to CA code, because this is not a page dedicated to CA warning lights - I have moved some of the information, in a more generalized form, to the Emergency vehicle equipment page --Badger151 01:04, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cleanup, reorg &c

This page badly needs a total cleanup and reorganization of thought. Perhaps into categories such as Legal Aspects, Local Information (for states' info on lighting policies), etc. Also, there should be a section dedicated to volunteers, as there is a lot of information on that. 204.52.215.2 20:48, 12 June 2006 (UTC)Jantman

[edit] Refactor?

Personally, I think this article could do with a bit of refactoring. Firstly, it should be moved to somewhere more general - the form factor section's already covering individual lights, and few regulations distinguish between light bars and individual lights; they're just separate ways of meeting the same end. I'm not sure what the new article should be. Emergency vehicle lighting, while a possibility would tend to exclude utility vehicles. Secondly, the 'colours' and 'lightbars by service' sections should be merged into each other as both vary enormously from country to country (the latter is already very USA-centric). Any objections or suggestions (especially with regards to a new name)? --Scott Wilson 21:50, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

I disagree in that "light bar" is really the only unique term for roof-mounted warning lights on vehicles, even if it does tend to marginalize single beacons. "Light bar" is what people will be searching for. 151.203.54.174 19:09, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Also, i'm the one who created the "lightbars by service" section a few months ago. This was to refactor the preexisting "lightbars and emergency vehicles" and "lightbars and utility vehicles" sections. It was also to separate the colors from the services, so that, say someone searching for "green" would get a general discussion about Incident Command, volunteer firefighters, and security guards, while under "by service" there'd be a more detailed discussion about red vs. green vs. blue for volunteer firefighters. However at the time, the article was 100% USA-centric. Perhaps we could create "colors" and "service" categories subcategories for the specific countries. 151.203.54.174 19:09, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Clarification on the term "lightbar"

"Lightbar" refers to a bar of lights or group of lights arranged in a bar-like formation. A lightbar does NOT include beacons, single unit strobes, or any other kind of light. A Vector is classified as a lightbar, by the way.

Vectors, though, can be mentioned in an article about beacons, but is classified as a lightbar. -StonedChipmunk 01:57, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

NOTE: I remember making this section a long time ago and not signing it, sorry if I accidentally took someone else's work to be my own (if I screwed up)

I agree, and move to start a motion to move this page to a more appropriate title - Bennyboyz3000 09:37, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Move page

I belive this page needs a move to a more appropriate title that encompasses all these forms of lighting mentioned here, not only lightbars. -Bennyboyz3000 09:37, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Disagree. There's all kinds of names for emergency vehicle lighting ( I'd never heard of "single beacons" before coming to this page ), but "lightbar" is what people will be searching for. Squidfryerchef 05:05, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

We can always leave a redirect from light bar - just as there currently is one from lightbar. The fact that there are many different names is, IMNSHO, even more of a reason to move this page to something generic, although I'm blowed if I can figure out what. --Scott Wilson 10:06, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

Shouldn't this be covered under emergency vehicle equipment? The pictures on the page are mostly showing off the cars, not the lightbars, and the close up of the inner workings, while a good picture, is a beacon. Vote for move and leave a redirect.CptnSkippy 16:25, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

Merging this article to Emergency vehicle equipment would quadruple the size of that article, which also has to include radios, winches, stretchers, and many other types of equipment. I'd say lets direct our efforts to improving this page as it is. The point is that yes, parts of this article also apply to "gumball" lights or lights under the grill, but "light bar" makes a good archetype for all the different warning lights you see on the road. Squidfryerchef 02:09, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

What about emergency vehicle lighting then? --Scott Wilson 02:14, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Better, but it's just that the page has a long history of edits as "light bar" that it's one of those "don't move the cheese situations". I'd have preferred the single word "lightbar" anyway but since it's been here a long time let's leave it where it is and spend our energy working on the article itself. Squidfryerchef 05:41, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Good point about enlarging the equipment page, and EV lighting would be a good cover all. I know light bar has history, but the general lighting term might be better encompassing and allow for beacons, dash, deck and those little tir3 surface mount things.CptnSkippy 17:33, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Can we get a show of hands of US vs. UK language preference? I'm from the US, and "lightbar" seems to have taken on an umbrella usage here, at least on the various forums i've seen. That might not be the case in other English-speaking countries and may account for the periodic suggestions to rename page. On the other hand "beacon" seems to be used in Commonwealth countries but not the US. Squidfryerchef 02:35, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

In my (UK) personal experience, lightbar (not sure about the spelling though) and beacon are both perfectly valid, but separate terms. Beacons aren't lightbars and vice-versa. This is why we should put this at something generic; that way it works for UK English as well as US English - even if lightbar is a generic term there, they would still understand what emergency vehicle lighting meant, and we could mention that lightbar is used generically. Also, we can always have redirects from lightbar, light bar, beacon and anything else we can think of to rescue those looking for specific items. --Scott Wilson 13:44, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

US here. Beacons and Lightbars are both types of lighting equipment. To me, the term beacon reminds me of the 1980's blue gumball lights from the Florida Highway Patrol. If I'm not mistaken, Michigan State Police still use a single beacon on the roof of their cars.CptnSkippy 15:29, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

I've dropped my objections and now vote for "Emergency Vehicle Lighting". It will make a nice branch from Emergency Vehicle Equipment as well. Squidfryerchef 02:46, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Photos

The photo of the NYPD cruiser, though a good one, didn't really illustrate the Vector lightbar. Since things were becomeing cramped, I removed it to here, in case someone can make better use of it than I. --Badger151 00:44, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

This Picture shows a flat police lightbar. This picture was taken at the Hopewell Township Police Department. --FBIgnelson 00:44, 13 March 2006

The NYPD pic is definitely a Vector, but you're right, it's hard to tell in that thumbnail. Thanks for moving it. -StonedChipmunk 02:00, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Japan pic, Section?

There's a pic there, but it would be great to see a section added to put it in. But I know exactly 0 about japanese colors / law enforcement so... Zotel - the Stub Maker 14:09, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] NJ EMT's vehicle

Although it is an impressive display of lights, there should be clarification on this. Even though it has a lightbar, I think it should be moved to something like Emergency vehicle equipment because there are many other lighting implements on the vehicle that have nothing to do with lightbars. -StonedChipmunk 02:02, 16 January 2007 (UTC)