Emergency vehicle
Encyclopedia
An emergency vehicle is any vehicle
that is designated and authorized to respond
to an emergency
. These vehicles are usually operated by designated agencies, often part of the government, but also run by charities, non-governmental organizations and some commercial companies. Often emergency vehicles are permitted by law to break conventional road rules in order to reach their destinations in the fastest possible time, such as (but not limited to) driving through an intersection when the traffic light is red, or exceeding the speed limit.
Police and security
Fire and rescue
Medical
Civil emergency
Recovery
and visual warning devices, which are designed to facilitate their movement through traffic to reach their destination, and to provide some protection on the scene.
Depending on local laws, vehicles on the road may be required to yield the right of way to emergency responders who are using their warning devices. For example, in Utah, when an emergency vehicle is on the road while using its warning devices, all cars are required to pull over to the side of the road, stop, and wait for the vehicle to pass before resuming normal driving, unless doing so would cause an accident or if stopped at a red light/stop sign. Even in areas where no such laws exist, many motorists may allow the vehicle to pass as a matter of courtesy.
from a centre
that takes call
s from an emergency telephone number
, such as 9-1-1
, 000 or 1-1-2
.
Colour and design choices reflect several needs, but typically may include
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
that is designated and authorized to respond
Respond
A respond is a half-pier or half-pillar which is bonded into a wall and designed to carry the springer at one end of an arch....
to an emergency
Emergency
An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or environment. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation, although in some situations, mitigation may not be possible and agencies may only be able to offer palliative...
. These vehicles are usually operated by designated agencies, often part of the government, but also run by charities, non-governmental organizations and some commercial companies. Often emergency vehicles are permitted by law to break conventional road rules in order to reach their destinations in the fastest possible time, such as (but not limited to) driving through an intersection when the traffic light is red, or exceeding the speed limit.
Types
There are many types of emergency vehicle, dependent on jurisdiction. Some examples of emergency vehicles include:Police and security
- Police carPolice carA police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
- Police motorcyclePolice motorcycleA police motorcycle is a motorcycle used by various police forces and departments. They may be custom designed to meet the requirements unique of a particular use. A police motorcycle is often called a "motor" by police officers in the United States...
- SWATSWATA SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
vehicle - Bomb disposalBomb disposalBomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
vehicle - Police bicyclePolice bicycleA Police bicycle is a land vehicle used by police departments, most commonly in the form of a mountain bicycle. They are designed to meet the requirements unique to each department....
Fire and rescue
- Fire apparatusFire apparatusA fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...
including various specialist units such as turntable ladders - Mountain rescueMountain rescueMountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
vehicle - Mine rescueMine rescueMine rescue is the very specialized job of rescuing miners and others who have become trapped or injured underground in mines because of mining accidents and disasters such as explosions caused by firedamp, roof falls or floods.- Expert volunteers :...
vehicle - Search and rescueSearch and rescueSearch and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
team vehicle - Hazardous materials team vehicle
- LifeguardLifeguardA lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
vehicle
Medical
- AmbulanceAmbulanceAn ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
s and ambulance response vehicles - Organ transplant or blood supply vehicles
Civil emergency
- Park rangerPark rangerA park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
vehicle - Public utilityPublic utilityA public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
crews dealing with gas, electricity or water or to repair defective equipment on scene.
Recovery
- Tow truckTow truckA tow truck is a vehicle used to transport motor vehicles to another location , or to recover vehicles which are no longer on a drivable surface.Towing services are generally provided by an emergency road service operator...
Equipment
Many emergency response vehicles (especially those of the main police, fire and ambulance services) are likely to be fitted with audibleSiren (noisemaker)
A siren is a loud noise making device. Most modern ones are civil defense or air raid sirens, tornado sirens, or the sirens on emergency service vehicles such as ambulances, police cars and fire trucks. There are two general types: pneumatic and electronic....
and visual warning devices, which are designed to facilitate their movement through traffic to reach their destination, and to provide some protection on the scene.
Depending on local laws, vehicles on the road may be required to yield the right of way to emergency responders who are using their warning devices. For example, in Utah, when an emergency vehicle is on the road while using its warning devices, all cars are required to pull over to the side of the road, stop, and wait for the vehicle to pass before resuming normal driving, unless doing so would cause an accident or if stopped at a red light/stop sign. Even in areas where no such laws exist, many motorists may allow the vehicle to pass as a matter of courtesy.
Summoning assistance
In many countries, emergency vehicles are usually dispatchedDispatch (logistics)
Dispatch is a procedure for assigning employees or vehicles to customers. Industries that dispatch include taxicabs, couriers, emergency services, as well as home and commercial services such as maid services, plumbing, HVAC, pest control and electricians.With vehicle dispatching, clients are...
from a centre
Call centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
that takes call
Telephone call
A telephone call is a connection over a telephone network between the calling party and the called party.-Information transmission:A telephone call may carry ordinary voice transmission using a telephone, data transmission when the calling party and called party are using modems, or facsimile...
s from an emergency telephone number
Emergency telephone number
Many countries' public telephone networks have a single emergency telephone number, sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or occasionally the emergency services number, that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency telephone number may...
, such as 9-1-1
9-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
, 000 or 1-1-2
1-1-2
112 is the principal emergency telephone number that can be dialed free of charge from any telephone or any mobile phone in order to reach emergency services in the European Union , its candidates for accession, members of the EEA agreement, as well as several other countries in the world...
.
Livery
Colours and livery tend to vary widely between services and jurisdictions, dependent on the individual requirements and preferences of the service. In addition, it is possible to encounter two paint schemes for vehicles from the same service, if the older vehicles are not repainted after a livery scheme is changed or if a smaller department can not afford custom painting of their equipment.Colour and design choices reflect several needs, but typically may include
- Identification of the service - Such as New York State Police or City of Tokyo Fire Department, to which the vehicle belongs and helps identify its purpose to the public and other services. In some areas, the name of the service ("ambulance", "fire" etc.) may be written in reverse lettering on the front of the vehicle to provide a view of the approaching vehicle in a rear view mirror.
- Vehicle ID number - This may be a simple asset tracking number (for maintenance etc.) or may also be the unit number which can be used by control to identify them. Many vehicles also display their vehicle number on their roof or trunkTrunk (automobile)The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...
(boot) lid, to be identifiable from the air. - High visibility markings - Responding emergency vehicles want to be conspicuous, as do emergency vehicles parked at a scene (so they don’t get hit by other vehicles). Many departments use passive visual warnings such as reflective lettering and/or striping to increase their visibility. Other patterns include checker-board (battenburgBattenburg markingsBattenburg refers to a pattern of high-visibility markings used to maximise conspicuity, primarily used on vehicles of the emergency services, but also in other applications such as uniforms...
) or chevrons. For police departments, there can be a competing need for stealth. Police departments also use unmarked civilian-like vehicles, which may be similar to their marked units, or may be entirely different. - Contact information - There may well be a telephone number written on the side of the vehicle which can be called to summon it. Whilst this also applies in areas where there is a single emergency telephone number, it is especially important where a system of local numbers is in place, or where the service is a secondary service (such as a utility company). In some cases, the vehicle may display an internet address for people to go and find more information about the operator.
See also
- Automobile safetyAutomobile safetyAutomobile safety is the study and practice of vehicle design, construction, and equipment to minimize the occurrence and consequences of automobile accidents. Automobile safety is the study and practice of vehicle design, construction, and equipment to minimize the occurrence and consequences of...
- ISO 9001 certification
- ISO 14001 certification
- Emergency managementEmergency managementEmergency management is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause events like disasters or catastrophes and to ensure the continuance of the...
- Emergency serviceEmergency serviceEmergency services are organizations which ensure public safety and health by addressing different emergencies. Some agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies whilst others deal with ad hoc emergencies as part of their normal responsibilities...
s - Emergency vehicle equipmentEmergency vehicle equipmentEmergency vehicle equipment is the equipment fitted to, or carried by, an emergency vehicle, which is additional to any equipment such as headlights, steering wheels or windshield/windscreens that a standard non-emergency vehicle is fitted with....
- Emergency warning system for vehicles
- Safety carSafety carIn motorsport, a safety car or pace car is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a caution period such as an obstruction on the track. During a caution period the safety car enters the track ahead of the leader...
- Vehicle recoveryVehicle recoveryVehicle recovery is the recovery of any vehicle to another place, generally speaking with a commercial vehicle known as a recovery vehicle, tow truck or spectacle lift....