My favorite video about volunteer fire fighters. Turn the volume up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4y-RzVGrHg&feature=relmfu
Seriously, why would you do that to us? I thought we were all friends here.Turn the volume up
Don't take this the wrong way at all.... but if you want my honest suggestion, mine is not to bother with lights. I did it for years when I first joined the fire service but the more I listened to the older & wiser folks around me, the more I realized it's really a waste of time and money. Yeah, they look cool, but unless you find yourself in the traffic flow regularly WITHOUT any apparatus there, they really don't do much good. Reasons why:
1) You can't (legally) go any faster, or disregard traffic control devices, so it shouldn't improve response time. Running several hundred dollars worth of lights looks dumb when you're sitting at the stoplight.
2) People just don't pay attention to them. Whether they don't know what to do or don't care, it simply doesn't help.
3) The number of calls for which the 2-3 minutes you might save if you choose to break the law and drive faster than you should is a very small fraction, if any.
4) Regardless of how experienced or mature a person is, having lights and/or a siren (permitted on POV's in other states) on your vehicle encourages you to drive differently (read: dangerously). Simple psychology. Not a good combination - just google "volunteer crashed driving to call fatality" and you'll get several results for any year you look at (or visit Fire Fighter Close Calls.com - they keep pretty good track). And it's even worse/more likely if you're also new to the fire service.
5) Insurance liability/exposure/cost. Remember that even if you do everything right, you lose control or someone hits YOU while that light is on, there will be a circus and it will end up being your fault, rightfully so or not. Not to mention, your insurance provider is likely to say it was an "uncovered use" of the vehicle and in fact, many insurance companies will refuse to cover you at all if they find out you have a blue light. Your department may or may not have any coverage for you (likely not).
Sorry to be a stick in the mud and of course, YMMV. Just do yourself a favor and think seriously about pros and cons and whether to spend that $200 on lights or something else, like a nice bail-out kit or toward a two-way radio that may very well save your life. Stay safe.
My favorite video about volunteer fire fighters. Turn the volume up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4y-RzVGrHg&feature=relmfu