EMS Visability

[MerlinMedic 5]

I just saw today an EMS flycar in subdued (tactical) colors. It is an upstate County EMS Coordinator's flycar. All of this county's flycars are painted the same way. This county does not provide tactical medics or EMS.

Why the subdued scheme? I thought the idea was higher visability for EMS units. Am I missining something? Was there a study in JEMS or somewhere that reccomended changeing color schemes to subdued?

[firemoose827 324]

I just saw today an EMS flycar in subdued (tactical) colors. It is an upstate County EMS Coordinator's flycar. All of this county's flycars are painted the same way. This county does not provide tactical medics or EMS.

Why the subdued scheme? I thought the idea was higher visability for EMS units. Am I missining something? Was there a study in JEMS or somewhere that reccomended changeing color schemes to subdued?

C'mon Merlin, you know these people as well as I do...Its so they can hang out at dunkin donuts without being seen to easily!!!! Cant have that coffee and cigarrette interupted!!!

[nycemt728 49]

Can we define subdued, tactical colors for those of us that are not familiar?

[MerlinMedic 5]

Can we define subdued, tactical colors for those of us that are not familiar?

Subdued or tactical colors are dark; generaly navy blue, black and medium to dark gray. In this case the vehicles were a dull black and medium gray. I do not know if the gray letters were reflective as it was an overcast day towards dusk.

I have seen 2 police agencies with a similar color scheme: Albany County Sherrif uses a jet back with gold lettering for their patrol cars. This scheme is smokin'!! Schenectady City P.D. has at least one patrol car that is dull black with dark gray lettering. That car looks like it means business. If I were pulled over by it I would be "extra" careful to do exactly as the officer said.

Those are police agencies obviuosly with different missions than EMS fly cars. Personally, I would have missed the 'subdued' EMS fly car if my better half hadden't pointed it out to me. Which is why I am asking if I missed something on flycar visability?

On a similar vein, why are ambulance's light bars up so high? Nearly 10' from the ground? The poor driver in font of you who has their stereo cranked up and isn't hearing your sirien can't see the light bar when you are 5-10 feet behind them. Wouldn't some sort of light strip similar to what the truckers have that runs 4-6' up from the bumper grant more visability to those directly in front on your rig?

[Remember585 815]

I've seen a unit in our area that is white with white lettering on it.

[Guest EFFP411]

In Dutchess County, the only ems "flycars" i know of that are anything other than white or company colors are one of Alamo's medic flycars, which is a black explorer, and of course 39-8's new Chiefs truck, which is a dark navy blue Chevy Suburban....