Beacons have played a vital role in safety for many years. Beacon lamps are a signalling tool which are used in numerous conditions, such as in aerial navigation, defensive communications, marine, guiding vehicles and much more.
As for seafarers and mariners lighthouses correlate to smooth sailing. The light produced by beacon can point them to locations such as, if they are already in a main point coastline, sunken reefs, treacherous waters, and a lot more.
Improved Beacon Lights for Safety and Security
With today’s advanced technology, beacon lamps have significantly improved. For example;
– Today, beacon lights have a lifespan of over 10 years. This means that a lower level of maintenance is required for warning beacons placed in remote or difficult to access areas.
– Todays technology sees a rapid increase in the number of LED beacons being installed, which means that today’s beacon lamps are more efficient and long lasting.
– As well as maintenance costs being reduced, todays warnings beacons – especially LED, consume far less energy, making them extremely energy efficient also.
– Installation costs are also cheaper than other substitutes.
Safety and Security Uses of Beacon Lamps
Marine And Navigation uses
Navigational beacons as the name implies guides marine based navigators to their voyages safely. The tools such as remote sensors and visual guides for navigation are utilised to point their proper destinations.
Essential As A Defensive Communication Tool
From the 10th century, beacons have been already utilised for defensive purposes such as communications. Used in war or sea navigation a beacon is usually lit on a specific location.
Cars and Utility Vehicles
A common signalling light to attract attention used by a lot of service type vehicles such as Breakdown Vehicles, Fire Trucks, Police Cars and Ambulances.
Beacon Light Colours Function for Safety
Beacons lamps are used to portray a crucial message such as to warn or inform about a current situation or circumstance. The light sends a signal and those who are affected should respond accordingly. Colours are used to send a message – the most used colours are Red, Amber, Blue, Green and White.
The use of beacons is key to guarantee the safety of the general public. The meaning of the colour of the lights can vary slightly by country, however, in the United States, they have standardised the meaning of colours. The following colours are used to send a particular message:
- Red – used to send a strong warning about an upcoming danger and is most commonly used by law enforcers and fire fighters.
- Amber or yellow – sends a message to the viewers to be cautious of their surroundings or slow down. In some countries, yellow or amber is also used to warn the public about impending hazards such as low visibility conditions.
- Blue – this colour is mostly used by emergency services, such as firefighters or law enforcement vehicles.
- Green – is most commonly used by local emergency response teams. The colour sends a message that the problem or crisis is currently handled.
- White – is commonly used as alternate colour for rotating lights. In some cases, flashing white lights are used on school buses or at railroad stops as alerts to enhance visibility.
Since colours can vary dependent on location, making sure that appropriate colours are used in your specific application is key.