Understanding IP Ratings For Warning Lights for Police Cars, Fire Trucks, Ambulances, and Work Trucks
When purchasing any form of electronics, particularly those that operate outdoors like light bars, mini-lightbars, spotlights, and beacons, it’s essential to ensure that these warning lights are able to withstand both inclement weather and high-pressure cleaning. It’s for this reason that the ingress protection (IP) rating system was developed. The IP rating system provides a trusted and standardized scale on which electronics can be judged on their ability to withstand the intrusion of both solid and liquid contaminants. Each number in a product’s rating refers to its ability to resist penetration from one of these substances.
How IP Rating Impacts Police, Car, Fire Truck, and Work Truck Warning Lights
IP ratings are an extremely valuable tool for those purchasing warning lights for first responder and work truck vehicles. Police cars, work vehicles, fire trucks, and ambulances often operate in adverse conditions including rain, sleet, snow, and hail, as well as in dusty and dirty settings. Understanding the degree of protection offered by a certain light helps the buyer understand the extent to which they can expect their LED truck lights to stand the tests of time. When it comes to warning lights such as beacons, light bars, and spotlights, the higher the degree of protection the better.
What is IEC 605029? So, let’s break it down.
IEC 605029 refers to the specific code produced by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) that explains the standards and testing requirements for those seeking an IP rating for their product. Originally published in 1976, the standards are updated regularly, most recently in 2019.
What Does the First Number in IP Ratings Mean?
The first number in an IP rating refers to a product’s ingress protection abilities against solids. Ingress protection against solids is measured on a scale of zero to six, with six offering the highest degree of protection. A rating of six means that the product is dust-tight, and that there was no ingress of dust within the product.
What Does the Second Number In IP Ratings Mean?
The second number in an IP rating refers to a product’s ingress protection against liquids. This scale runs from zero to nine, with nine being the highest degree of protection. Ratings between 7, 8, and 9 are ideal for a work truck and first responder vehicles that are exposed to harsh conditions.
In addition to the second number, there is an optional character that can be added to a rating to offer additional context regarding the product’s ingress protection. Additional characters are located directly after the second number. One common character included in IP ratings is the letter “K”. This addition to the IP rating scale was developed by the German Institute for Standardization Registered Association (DIN), and denotes a product’s ability to withstand ingress during high pressure, high-temperature steam jets, and is intended to show a product’s ability to withstand hot water or steam cleaning.
IP65-Rated First Responder and Work Truck Warning Lights and Light Bars
Determining a good IP rating is entirely dependent on the setting and industry in which you work, as this will dictate the intensity of the ingress protection required. That being said, IP65 is a strong starting point that will prove sufficient in many applications.
IP65 ensures full protection against dust while also providing protection from low-pressure water jets from any direction. Federal Signal offers a variety of light bars with this rating, including:
Police |
Fire/EMS |
Work Truck |
Valor® Light BarVision® SLR |
Valor® Light Bar |
IP67-Rated Perimeter Warning Lights
IP67 offers full protection against dust while also offering liquid ingress protection while the light is submerged in water less than 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. Federal Signal offers a variety of lights carrying this designation, including:
Police |
Fire/EMS |
Work Truck |
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MicroPulse® C-Series Perimeter Light |
MicroPulse® C-Series Perimeter Light |
IP68-Rated Exterior Lights
For those seeking amber, blue, red, or white warning lights with an even greater ingress protection rating, Federal Signal offers a couple of work truck perimeter lights with IP68 ratings. These lights offer complete dust protection and can be submerged in water under pressure for extended periods without allowing ingress. Federal Signal’s IP68-rated perimeter lights are linked below.
Fire/EMS |
Work Truck |
IP69K-Rated First Responder and Work Truck Lights
Federal Signal’s IP69K-rated work truck lights offer the greatest degree of protection available from both dust and water. The selection of IP69K-rated lights includes spotlights, beacons, as well as a mini light bar. Lights in this category should prove sufficient in almost any work vehicle application. Below are some of Federal Signal’s IP69K truck lights:
Police |
Fire/EMS |
Work Truck |
The lights highlighted throughout this blog will prove sufficient for many different types of vehicles including police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, tow trucks, snow plows, and utility trucks.