Garden State Oldies

[Richard_L_Dean_07405]

[quote name='Fireman5230' post='206672' date='Apr 19 2008, 13:34 ']My father told me it was mainly because of these "Blue lights" on fire apparatus - CAUSED the NJ lawmakers to make the Blue Light rule. Fireman wanted the Blue for them and did not want it used by Police or Ambulances. So the NJ lawmakers made the law state that FIRE TRUCKS, POLICE CARS and AMBULANCES would use RED and that fireman and squad members would use the BLUE on their own cars.



Up until last year or so, the las stated "No blue lights will be GREATER then 51 Candle Power" and that "One or 2 blue FLASHING lights would be at the top or bottom CORNERS of the window sheild".[/quote]



Back in the early 1970's there was quite a controversy over who would get the blue lights. As I recall New Jersey's law required mottorists to yield only to red flashing lights so the emergency vehicles had to have at least one red light. At the time, volunteers were allowed to have one or two blue flashing lights no more than 7 inches diameter mounted in front of the radiator grill no higher than the top of the headlights and I think the candlepower might have been less. The NJ State Police wanted blue lights for their cars and their cars only and there was a long drawn out battle in the legislature with the present blue light adopted in 1977 and amended over the years most recently about 2004 or 2005. The 1977 law allowed for the type mounted in front as already mentioned, or one or two permanently mounted on each windshield column, or one or two mounted on the forward section of the responders roof by magnet or suction cup but not permanently attached. Now those types are allowed plus light bars and the type on dashboards.



Rich Dean