Firefighters and Police Tactical Units Use and Prefer LED Headlamps

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Firefighters and police are looked at as heroes because they put their lives on the line each and every day. Firefighters run into burning building as occupants run out. Policemen chase criminals into dark alleyways and byways. Both of these professions require a high dedication to service to mankind in general because one of the strongest instincts human beings have is the will to live. Firefighters and policemen routinely have to push their instinct to survive into the back of their minds to be able to uphold their responsibilities.

The most common activities for firefighters include: going to the location of emergencies such as vehicular accidents, floods, bomb threats and incidents, dangerous substance spills, railway and airline crashes etc. They also spend time rescuing people and animals that are trapped and providing emergency medical services prior to an ambulance crew arriving on the scene. Firefighters also spend a good deal of time in educating their communities and themselves.

The most common activities of policemen include: keeping order, stopping and uncovering criminal activity, arresting persons who violate the law, running surveillance, working in counter-terrorism activities, investigating crimes like fraud, murder, vandalism, and trafficking in people and drugs.

Given this descriptions of activities for firefighters and policemen, it becomes obvious that in order for them to do their jobs safely and well, they must have state of the art firefighter and police equipment. Not only does this equipment protect them, in a way it protects the citizens they are helping by allowing them to stay in the line of fire, so to speak - longer. State of the art firefighting and police equipment allows them to continue to perform their jobs.

Given the types of situations these professionals find themselves responding to, and the time of day, firefighters and policemen may need to use headlamps to enable them to be able to function in the dark. The dark does not always mean time of day. In situations such as forest fires, smoke can be so dense that it is darker than a night without a moon. Running into buildings filled with smoke can also be like the running in the pitch blackness of night. Conducting rescue operations may find both firefighters and policemen working in places where they are not able to see their hand in front of their face.

With today’s new technology, working in the dark is not as problematic as it once was. LED headlamps are lighting the way for our heroes. LED is an acronym for light emitting diode. Diodes are electronic components allowing electricity to go only in one direction. A light emitting diode, when electrically charged gives off light much like a light bulb.

Firefighters and policemen favor LED headlamps in comparison to other forms of lighting because: 1) beams can be easily pointed and tilted in the direction of need, 2) can be purchased in adjustable elastic headbands, 3) are impervious to water, 4) come in a strobe model, 5) allows firefighters and policemen to have their hands free, and 6) can be easily mounted on hard hats.

LED headlamps come in a variety of levels of illumination and most often offer the wearer at least three levels of light –maximum, optimum, and economic. LED headlamps are basically powered by batteries and each model of LED headlamp requires a different level of battery power ranging from 3 to 6 AAA batteries as a well as some Led headlamps use AA batteries. Headlamps range from 18 to 60 Lumens and most often are capable of working in atmospheres that are filled with dangerous toxins, gasses and vapors. LED headlamps vary in the number of hours they run based on the type of batteries they use. They also vary on the brightness of the light they emit as well as whether the light emitted has a spot or flood focus.

When considering the times a firefighter or policeman is put into danger in the middle of the pitch black night, has to run into burning buildings filled with toxic black smoke, has to work to put out or contain a forest fire causing a smoke related blackout, or has to scour dark woods looking for a runaway or kidnapped child or criminal, it is no wonder they favor LED headlamps to more traditional flashlights or lanterns.

The use of LED headlamps allow firefighters and policemen to do what they do best – help citizens who are in danger from fires, criminal activity, being lost and in need of rescue etc. LED headlamps help the men and women who use them save lives and protect property.

-Ben Anton, 2007
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