Using Warning Lights in the Private Security Sector

I’ve been working in the private security sector for several years now, and a lot of people have the misconception that all there is to private security companies is hiring a bunch of buffed, bald guys dressed in black, standing in front of a restaurant or a club and maintaining the queue lines. Well, it’s not really all about that. While that’s a part of it, there are other things to it as well. For example, responding to criminal activities in the objects you’re paid to monitor and protect, which often times requires the use of a vehicle with a warming light to make it past traffic as fast, efficiently and as safely possible for everyone included. In this article, I’ll be focusing on the warning lights used for this purpose. Let’s shed some light on this topic.

A warning light finds use in many industries, and people most often associate it with law enforcement vehicles, firefighting trucks or ambulances. And while I do agree that these are the cases when these lights can be spotted most often, there are other situations which require the use of a warning light. For instance, maintenance trucks, security vehicles (like the one my company uses), and vehicles transferring dangerous and expensive equipment. In all of these cases, it’s perfectly acceptable and legal to use them. However, different countries and states have different laws and regulations on this matter.

Allowing security vehicles to use warning lights might seem a bit extreme to some people, but this job often times coincides with the job of the police and requires the security personnel to act quickly. Think security for malls, parking lots, recreational properties, amusement parks and luxurious private properties – all of them are entitled to private security, and they’re paid a big sum of money to protect it, thus giving them the right to equip their vehicles with warning lights.

Shopping for warning lights is a pretty straightforward process. All you have to do is check the local regulations and laws, the type of bulb you want and the correct colour. The most popular type of bulbs are the LED bulbs as they’re long-lasting and can work up to 50.000 hours, which is a lot of time for a security purpose. The yellow, red and blue colours are an option, but there are also white (used by construction companies) and other colours available. Again, check the regulations in your state to see which ones are appropriate.