To help the people in public places be aware of their surroundings, beacons are purposely made to warn, attract attention, and notify people in certain locations. These devices carry the message of the viewer, as well as providing signals on how the people should respond.
Additionally, using beacons in different places in important to ensure the safety of citizens. The messages that beacons carry are implied in certain colours, choosing the type of light is also important when installing the devices in different places.
The Different Uses of Beacons
Beacons can be used in so many different ways. They are mostly used as a warning signal for the public’s safety and security, and also for industrial and personal uses. Here are a few different uses of beacons:
Vehicle Use
Vehicular beacons consist of flashing and rotating lights. These kinds of beacons are commonly seen on top emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, rescue vehicles, tow trucks, and others. Vehicular beacons are used to alert people and other vehicles on the street to be careful and give way for the emergency vehicles.
Warning Defense
In the old days, fire lit is used as their kind of beacon. Fire lit is used to signal over the land and warn allies if there are enemies heading towards their way, this also helps alert the defenses. Systems like these existed for many years in different countries. Countries that used beacons as their defense communication are Chinese, Spanish, Romans, Scandinavians, Greeks, and Scottish.
Other Uses
The other uses of beacons are for different celebrations and occasions. In the high court of Jerusalem, fire beacons are an important system for them. It is their way of communication for declaring a new month to Jews in Israel and Babylon.
3 Types of Beacon Lights
As mentioned earlier, in choosing beacons, you should also consider the type of lights that are to be used to create a safer environment for emergency workers on site. Moreover, using a long-lasting, convenient, and a reliable lighting can be very beneficial for dark situations and long distances.
Here are some of the ocular types of beacons:
– Rotating Light Beacon
Rotating lights are the types of beacon that contain a single stationary lamp or bulb that creates rotating rays of light. The light and parts of the beacon are protected with a plastic dome cover. The covers are usually made with a rotating mirror and solid colours to give a bright, consistent flashing light effect.
– Strobe Light Beacons
This type is much similar to flash photography and sometimes used in emergency lightings. This type provides a strong, intense light due to the beacon’s xenon flash lamp that helps improve its visibility.
– LED Beacons
This one is the most common type of beacons. Providing a low maintenance, energy efficient solution in lighting.
The 5 Colours of Beacons
Choosing the best colour of beacons will depend on what kind of message you want to convey to the viewers. Below are the most used colours of beacons:
– Yellow or Amber
This colour reminds people to slow down, be aware, and be cautious about his or her surroundings. Yellow beacons are often used to warn the vehicles to move slowly in roads. It is also used in the airport’s vicinity, buildings, and construction sites to promote awareness and caution to people.
– White
This colour is often used in public transportations. White coloured beacons are often used to improve visibility to other vehicles.
– Green
Green coloured beacons are related to security and safety. It tells people that an emergency is already being handled by response teams and is used on mobile command centers and on the representative’s safety vehicle.
– Red
This colour is often associated with the emergency, hazards, and dangerous situations. These are often seen in emergency situations such as police vehicles, and fire trucks, as well as in buildings occupied by the public, in red, rotating or flashing lights. It warns the occupants to evacuate, whilst warning other people or vehicles to stay away from an area.
– Blue
Blue beacons are an alternative colour of the red ones. However, using blue beacons isn’t allowed on highways and streets.
Conclusion:
The use of beacons in public places is a necessity because it helps the authorised people to warn and alert the citizens immediately. Using coloured beacons is really effective in catching peoples attention, thus making the job much easier in keeping them safe.