Effectiveness of garda car sirens?

shakin

Is it me or are the sirens fitted on patrol cars a lot quieter than say an ambulance or fire engine, by this i mean when your in a car ive been in a few situations in dublin city where squad cars (particulary unmarked although its probably understandable) would just seem to come out of nowhere where as on the other hand you hear an ambulance coming from way off.
Could the sirens and indeed lights be better?

BrandonFlowers

shakin wrote: »

Could the sirens and indeed lights be better?

having been in unmarked cars i would agree, people seem generally suprised by them constantly!

deadwood

shakin wrote: »

Could the sirens and indeed lights be better?

Naw.

deadwood

Nee.

deadwood

Naw.

Milkey Bar Kid

Are you allowed go through a red light if its clear if an Emergency services car behind you with sirens going

easyeason3

Would that not ruin the surprise of being pulled over?

Also the people who look surprised are probably the same people who drive in front of an ambulance or fire engine & ignore the flashing lights/ blaring sirens so they can slow down to get a proper gawk instead of getting out of the way.

deadwood

Milkey Bar Kid wrote: »

Are you allowed go through a red light if its clear if an Emergency services car behind you with sirens going

Naw!:D

TheNog

They are alot quieter than ambulances and fire trucks. I suppose to complement the siren and lights is the headlamp flash which I find is better at notifying people of your presence behind them especially on sunny days when the roof lights are next to useless.

On a side note and I dont know if sirens are built this way but the faster a vehicle travels the sirens should become more directional towards the front of the car rather than multi-directional. It could increase the decibels providing even greater awareness/presence on the road.

BrandonFlowers

Milkey Bar Kid wrote: »

Are you allowed go through a red light if its clear if an Emergency services car behind you with sirens going

i think if its clear yes and even if its not you can move out in order to allow the emergency vehicle through, dunno the exact legality but no guard will pull you over for that!


"Also the people who look surprised are probably the same people who drive in front of an ambulance or fire engine & ignore the flashing lights/ blaring sirens so they can slow down to get a proper gawk instead of getting out of the way. "

agreed on that point too, some people are ridiculous!

Milkey Bar Kid

But is it true aswell that the Emergency services can control the Traffic lights when they approach

shakin

i kinda of thought maybe because the ambulance and fire are taller vehicles it distributed the sound further?

shakin

shakin wrote: »

Is it me or are the sirens fitted on patrol cars a lot quieter than say an ambulance or fire engine, by this i mean when your in a car ive been in a few situations in dublin city where squad cars (particulary unmarked although its probably understandable) would just seem to come out of nowhere where as on the other hand you hear an ambulance coming from way off.
Could the sirens and indeed lights be better?

They are different from the sirens fitted on the fire brigade and hse ambos. Suppose it's just different suppliers.

On a personal note, I think that the problem is caused by people just not paying attention while driving. I often drive with the radio turned up high but can still hear the sirens in the distance. Also, once I hear a siren, I keep a constent look out to see if it is coming anywhere near me, so I can move over out of the emergence vehicles way before its right up my arse.

shakin

Milkey Bar Kid wrote: »

But is it true aswell that the Emergency services can control the Traffic lights when they approach

i didnt think so i think they can in the us afaik but to do it all the lights would have to be running off of one system or you would disrupt all the traffic? im not sure on this though

shakin

foreign wrote: »

They are different from the sirens fitted on the fire brigade and hse ambos. Suppose it's just different suppliers.

On a personal note, I think that the problem is caused by people just not paying attention while driving. I often drive with the radio turned up high but can still hear the sirens in the distance. Also, once I hear a siren, I keep a constent look out to see if it is coming anywhere near me, so I can move over out of the emergence vehicles way before its right up my arse.

ive seen haztec written on plenty of squad cars dunno about the others though. http://www.haztec.biz/products2.asp?cat1=1&cat2=187

Milkey Bar Kid

that will be a thread for later

Celticfire

I have to say that I agree, a lot of times even as a pedestrian it's very difficult to hear the sirens. Also I've found that the sirens on the motorcycles next to useless, be better off with a bell on the handlebars.

Milkey Bar Kid

Milkey Bar Kid wrote: »

But is it true aswell that the Emergency services can control the Traffic lights when they approach

You may be thinking of a system used in the States, and possibly elsewhere.

This thing.

easyeason3

BrandonFlowers wrote: »

i think if its clear yes and even if its not you can move out in order to allow the emergency vehicle through, dunno the exact legality but no guard will pull you over for that!


"Also the people who look surprised are probably the same people who drive in front of an ambulance or fire engine & ignore the flashing lights/ blaring sirens so they can slow down to get a proper gawk instead of getting out of the way. "

agreed on that point too, some people are ridiculous!

Yep you can almost picture the gormless heads on Johnny & Mary as they're on the way home from buying the Independent 'to see who's in the obituaries'.
Imagine the excitement they must feel when an ambulance rocks up behind the car, 'shur it could be someone we know Johnny slow down 'til I have a look'.
Everyone knows ambulances are made of glass so we can see who is in it & the only way for a paramedic to properly treat someone is to get caught behind a Starlet/ Micra going about two miles per hour.

Hooch

Right here we go.

Suppliers for siren units are Haztec, federal signal and whelen. One or too more aswell.

There is no difference generally between fire/ambo and AGS sirens. They are all 100 watt sirens.

The reason that AGS sirens seem lower is that the siren speaker is mounted behind or alongside engine block which reduces the sound.....some AGS members may remember the light bars with siren speaker in it, most removed as the sound was too close to the driver and health and safety kicked in.

Ambo/Fire service on the other hand have the speakers mounted externally allowing sound to travel easier. Picture included, speaker on first is bottom left in the bumper, second is roof mounted

deadwood

nice guy always wrote: »

some AGS members may remember the light bars with siren speaker in it, most removed as the sound was too close to the driver and health and safety kicked in.

Wha?

Someone answer that phone.

DrIndy

You need a white noise generator - they are much easier for people to locate than a siren.

Hooch

DrIndy wrote: »

You need a white noise generator - they are much easier for people to locate than a siren.

I heard the siren from the RSU vehicles will become standard. It has that loud balk that you hear from NYPD and FDNY vehicles intermittingly in the wail and yelp. Its supposed to be louder and than wail and yelp and allows humans to direction find the sound (wail etc bounces of everything, hense why you look around for the siren)

CharlieCroker

nice guy always wrote: »

The reason that AGS sirens seem lower is that the siren speaker is mounted behind or alongside engine block which reduces the sound

Em, isn't the siren speaker in the middle of the lightbar where GARDA is written??? Or you just talking about unmarked?

Hooch

CharlieCroker wrote: »

Em, isn't the siren speaker in the middle of the lightbar where GARDA is written??? Or you just talking about unmarked?

Hense what I said earlier......they were brought in and phased out. Something about H&S and level of soundproofing in the roof. Dont think they are back in. All our 10 or more vehicles have them in the engine.

CharlieCroker

nice guy always wrote: »

Hense what I said earlier......they were brought in and phased out. Something about H&S and level of soundproofing in the roof. Dont think they are back in. All our 10 or more vehicles have them in the engine.

Sorry, thought you meant the one's back in the 90's. The metal bar with the 2 blue beacons and big siren speaker on it

Hooch

CharlieCroker wrote: »

Sorry, thought you meant the one's back in the 90's. The metal bar with the 2 blue beacons and big siren speaker on it

No no charlie was talking about the new ones. We had one or two and they were replaced. Might be back on new cars, dont have a 09

UpstateEMS

BrandonFlowers wrote: »

i think if its clear yes and even if its not you can move out in order to allow the emergency vehicle through, dunno the exact legality but no guard will pull you over for that!

While I agree with you that it is highly unlikely that a Guard would issue a ticket against someone breaking a red light to allow passage to an emergency vehicle, who would be at fault if you knocked down a pedestrian or were T-boned in the intersection while trying to allow the emergency vehicle through?

Even though the rules of the road say that you should yield to an emergency vehicle, operators of emergency vehicles also need to keep in mind that they must operate their vehicles with due regard for the safety of others around them.

Hooch

UpstateEMS wrote: »

While I agree with you that it is highly unlikely that a Guard would issue a ticket against someone breaking a red light to allow passage to an emergency vehicle, who would be at fault if you knocked down a pedestrian or were T-boned in the intersection while trying to allow the emergency vehicle through?

Even though the rules of the road say that you should yield to an emergency vehicle, operators of emergency vehicles also need to keep in mind that they must operate their vehicles with due regard for the safety of others around them.

True, as long as vehicles in front of the AGS vehicle arent obstructing the Garda in the course of his duties;)

donvito99

DrIndy wrote: »

You need a white noise generator - they are much easier for people to locate than a siren.

How bout a brown noise generator...:eek::cool:

eroo

nice guy always wrote: »

I heard the siren from the RSU vehicles will become standard. It has that loud balk that you hear from NYPD and FDNY vehicles intermittingly in the wail and yelp. Its supposed to be louder and than wail and yelp and allows humans to direction find the sound (wail etc bounces of everything, hense why you look around for the siren)

You'll hear that siren no doubt!!

fermoyboy

Another difference between AGS vehicles and Fire or Ambulance vehicles is that Garda car with lights and sirens on will travel a lot quicker than an ambulance or fire engine so by the time people hear and figure out where the siren is coming from then the patrol car will already be pretty close to them!

5500

The sirens on the new Hse Merc ambulances dont seem to be half as loud as those on the transits,i find you cant hear the Merc one when driving untill it's fairly close/right beside you where the others you can hear long before there's any sign of them

Hooch

eireal wrote: »

The sirens on the new Hse Merc ambulances dont seem to be half as loud as those on the transits,i find you cant hear the Merc one when driving untill it's fairly close/right beside you where the others you can hear long before there's any sign of them

Transit had them on the roof. Merc are build into the bumper and hense the lower speaker is less effective!

maglite

i dont knwo if this has been metioned before, if not i'll gather links.


But you can get like a rumbler siren that physicaly shakes the car infront of the siren to let them know you are there

Hooch

maglite wrote: »

i dont knwo if this has been metioned before, if not i'll gather links.


But you can get like a rumbler siren that physicaly shakes the car infront of the siren to let them know you are there

Here you go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZlsCt8YVIA

Thoie

Is it just my hearing, or does anyone else have difficulties on the quays in Dublin figuring out where the nee-naw sound is coming from? I have no problems in other places, but on the quays I can never tell if it's behind me, or on the other side of the river. Is it just the sound bouncing backwards and forwards across the river, or do I need a hearing test?

pa990

I Want One

for my own car

TheNog

nice guy always wrote: »

Here you go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZlsCt8YVIA

Our unmarked 2002 Avensis has this Rumbler.

Its fraggin class!!!

You should see traffic move when we use it

Hooch

Didnt know we had them!!! Must ring the depot!!!!!!!! I WANT ONE (for each car.....dont think they would work on the bikes!!)

ScubaDave

The rumbling is just the hungry mule driving the car!

TheNog

nice guy always wrote: »

Didnt know we had them!!! Must ring the depot!!!!!!!! I WANT ONE (for each car.....dont think they would work on the bikes!!)

yeah the one we have has 5 (I think) different sirens from the normal two toggle sirens found in all cars to the rumbler to the French siren. Betcha ye are thinking of two mules trying to speak in French to each other in the car while blitzing traffic

ScubaDave wrote: »

The rumbling is just the hungry mule driving the car!

Well the black box we have is in the glove box so in my case its the hungry observer!!!

bryanmurr

TheNog wrote: »

yeah the one we have has 5 (I think) different sirens from the normal two toggle sirens found in all cars to the rumbler to the French siren. Betcha ye are thinking of two mules trying to speak in French to each other in the car while blitzing traffic

we've all done it,

maglite

TheNog wrote: »

to the French siren.

ever seen bill baileys ambulance siren stand up?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRyvsRAo8T8