By Joe Bernert, 215-957-0720

Two NFPA changes will soon affect scene lighting on all fire trucks. Section 23.14.3 of NFPA 1901-172 now reads:

“The manufacturer of the device shall certify that the scene light has passed a vibration test conducted in accordance with industry standards.”

“The manufacturer of the device shall have the scene light tested by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and listed to UL 153 Standard for Portable Electric Luminaries or UL 1598, Luminaries.”

Just because a UL or ETL logo appears in a brochure, website, or other marketing collateral does not mean the complete product has been tested. So what research can you do to find out if your light manufacturer is compliant?

The federal government regulates product testing through OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). While OSHA does not directly test products, it does supervise and accredit testing companies. These third-party testing companies are known as NRTL’s (Nationally Recognized Testing Lab). UL (Underwriters Lab) and ETL (Edison Testing Lab) are two of the most popular third-party testing companies.

ETL publishes the manufacturers that have had their products tested and approved. Here’s how you can verify yourself:

1. Visit ETL’s website - www.intertek-etlsemko.com.
2. Under the “Product Directories” menu, select “ETL Listed Directory.” Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the link, “Search ETL Listed Directory”
3. Type in “Havis-Shields” in the search box (make sure to use the hyphen).
4. Click one of the three links to verify the specific product application tested. 

Because UL does not offer the ability to view approved products on its website, you should request UL information from their manufacturer or simply look on the product itself to ensure that it has a UL or ETL label.

If your lights do not include the ETL or UL logo on the fixture itself, chances are it has not been third-party tested and does not meet the new NFPA recommendation.