Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 347 - Equipment of vehicles.
347.25 - Special warning lamps on vehicles.

347.25 Special warning lamps on vehicles.
(1) Except as provided in subs. (1m) (a), (1n), (1r), and (1s), an authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with one or more flashing, oscillating, or rotating red lights, except that ambulances, fire department equipment, privately owned motor vehicles under s. 340.01 (3) (d), (dg), or (dm) being used by personnel of a full-time or part-time fire department, by members of a volunteer fire department or rescue squad, or by an organ procurement organization or any person under an agreement with an organ procurement organization, and privately owned motor vehicles under s. 340.01 (3) (dh) being used to transport or pick up medical devices or equipment, may be equipped with red or red and white lights, and shall be so equipped when the operator thereof is exercising the privileges granted by s. 346.03 or 346.215 (2) (a). The lights shall be so designed and mounted as to be plainly visible and understandable from a distance of 500 feet both during normal sunlight and during hours of darkness. No operator of an authorized emergency vehicle may use the warning lights except when responding to an emergency call or when in pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, when responding to but not upon returning from a fire alarm, when transporting an organ for human transplantation, when transporting medical personnel for the purpose of performing human organ harvesting or transplantation immediately after the transportation, when necessarily parked in a position which is likely to be hazardous to traffic, or as authorized under s. 346.215 (2) (a).
(1m)
(a) A police vehicle under s. 340.01 (3) (a) may be equipped with a blue light and a red light which are flashing, oscillating or rotating.
(b) If the vehicle is so equipped, the lights shall be illuminated as required under s. 346.03 or 346.215 (2) (a) when the operator of the police vehicle is exercising the privileges granted under s. 346.03 or 346.215 (2) (a). On a marked police vehicle, the blue light shall be mounted on the passenger side of the vehicle and the red light shall be mounted on the driver side of the vehicle. When in use on an unmarked police vehicle, the blue light shall be displayed on the passenger side of the vehicle and the red light shall be displayed on the driver side of the vehicle. The lights shall be designed and displayed so as to be plainly visible and understandable from a distance of 500 feet during normal sunlight and during hours of darkness. No operator of a police vehicle may use the warning lights except when responding to an emergency call or when in pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, when responding to but not upon returning from a fire alarm, when necessarily parked on a highway in a position which is likely to be hazardous to traffic using the highway, or as authorized under s. 346.215 (2) (a).
(c) If the state or any local authority intends to equip its police vehicles as authorized under par. (a), the state or the local authority shall give notice of its intent as a class 2 notice under ch. 985 at least 90 days before so equipping the first vehicle.
(1n) A police vehicle under s. 340.01 (3) (a) may be equipped with one or more flashing white lights. The lights shall be designed and displayed so as to be plainly visible and understandable from a distance of 500 feet both during normal sunlight and during hours of darkness. The lights may be used only when the warning lamps authorized under sub. (1) or (1m) are in use.
(1r)
(a)
1. A police vehicle under s. 340.01 (3) (a) may be equipped so that the high beams of its headlamps pulsate or flash alternately at a rate of 70 to 90 pulses or flashes per minute. The pulsating or flashing headlamps may be used only when the warning lamps authorized under sub. (1) or (1m) are in use.
2. If the state or any local authority intends to equip its police vehicles as authorized under subd. 1., the state or the local authority shall give notice of its intent as a class 2 notice under ch. 985 at least 90 days before so equipping the first vehicle.
(b)
1.
a. A vehicle of a fire department under s. 340.01 (3) (c) or an ambulance under s. 340.01 (3) (g) may be equipped so that the high beams of its headlamps pulsate or flash alternately at a rate of 70 to 90 pulses or flashes per minute. The pulsating or flashing headlamps may be used only when the warning lamps authorized under sub. (1) are in use.
b. If any local authority intends to equip its vehicles as authorized under subd. 1. a., the local authority shall give notice of its intent as a class 2 notice under ch. 985 at least 90 days before so equipping the first vehicle.
2.
a. A sheriff or others designated by the county board may authorize that an ambulance under s. 340.01 (3) (i) be equipped so that the high beams of its headlamps pulsate or flash alternately at a rate of 70 to 90 pulses or flashes per minute. The pulsating or flashing headlamps may be used only when the warning lamps authorized under sub. (1) are in use.
b. If the sheriff or others designated by the county board intend to authorize any ambulance under s. 340.01 (3) (i) to be equipped as authorized under subd. 2. a., the local authority shall give notice of its intent as a class 2 notice under ch. 985 at least 90 days before authorizing the first vehicle to be so equipped.
(c)
1.
a. The state fire marshal may authorize that a privately owned motor vehicle under s. 340.01 (3) (d) that is being used by a deputy state fire marshal be equipped so that the high beams of its headlamps pulsate or flash alternately at a rate of 70 to 90 pulses or flashes per minute. The pulsating or flashing headlamps may be used only when the warning lamps authorized under sub. (1) are in use.
b. If the state fire marshal intends to authorize any privately owned motor vehicle under s. 340.01 (3) (d) that is being used by a deputy state fire marshal to be equipped as authorized under subd. 1. a., the state shall give notice of its intent as a class 2 notice under ch. 985 at least 90 days before authorizing the first vehicle to be so equipped.
2.
a. A fire chief may authorize that a privately owned motor vehicle under s. 340.01 (3) (d) that is being used by an employee of the fire department or, if applicable, a member of the volunteer fire department be equipped so that the high beams of its headlamps pulsate or flash alternately at a rate of 70 to 90 pulses or flashes per minute. The pulsating or flashing headlamps may be used only when the warning lamps authorized under sub. (1) are in use.
b. If the fire chief intends to authorize any privately owned motor vehicle under s. 340.01 (3) (d) that is being used by an employee of the fire department or, if applicable, a member of the volunteer fire department to be equipped as authorized under subd. 2. a., the local authority shall give notice of its intent as a class 2 notice under ch. 985 at least 90 days before authorizing the first vehicle to be so equipped.
(1s) A vehicle in use by a fire department as a command post at the site of an emergency call may be equipped with a blue or green light which is flashing, oscillating or rotating.
(2) No person may operate a school bus which is painted as provided in s. 347.44 unless it is equipped with a 360-degree flashing white strobe light having a flashrate of 60 to 120 per minute and either flashing red warning lights or flashing red and amber warning lights. The secretary shall prescribe rules for the type, installation, operation and light output brilliance of the lights required under this subsection. No vehicle may be equipped with the warning and strobe lights required under this subsection unless it also is painted as provided in s. 347.44.
(2g) No person may operate on a highway any self-propelled implement of husbandry having a total width in excess of 12 feet unless it is equipped with a 360-degree yellow or amber rotating strobe or beacon light, mounted at the highest practicable point, or 2 flashing amber lights visible to the front and rear, and the light or lights are activated.
(2m) A human service vehicle may be equipped with a 360-degree flashing strobe light with a flashrate of 60 to 120 per minute. Notwithstanding s. 110.05 (1), the secretary shall prescribe rules for the type, color, installation, operation and light output brilliance of the lights permitted under this subsection.
(3) The lead vehicle in a funeral procession may be equipped, or any vehicle in the procession may be equipped if all vehicles in the procession are so equipped, with a flashing amber light that may be used only in the procession.
(4) No vehicle may be equipped with or display any blue colored light or lamp unless the vehicle is used in police work authorized by the state or a political subdivision of the state or is used by a fire department as authorized under sub. (1s).
(5) Notwithstanding s. 347.26 (11), whenever flashing warning lamps on an authorized emergency vehicle are designed and being used to exhibit a directional arrow at the scene of an emergency, the lamps exhibiting the directional arrow may be flashing simultaneously or sequentially. If the use of flashing warning lamps to exhibit a directional arrow would likely direct approaching traffic into a lane of traffic moving in the opposite direction, only the flashing warning lamps that exhibit the horizontal bar of a directional arrow may be used and such lamps shall be flashing simultaneously.
History: 1977 c. 29 s. 1654 (7) (c); 1977 c. 228; 1979 c. 54, 149; 1983 a. 56; 1985 a. 143; 1987 a. 126; 1989 a. 69; 1991 a. 73, 142; 1993 a. 369; 1995 a. 31, 190; 1997 a. 31, 117; 2007 a. 20, 177; 2009 a. 46; 2013 a. 95, 96, 313, 377; 2015 a. 232.
The trial court acted erroneously in imposing the burden of proof as to the intensity of the light upon the plaintiff. The statutory exemption of emergency vehicles from adherence to traffic regulations is available as an affirmative defense, and the defendants bear the burden of proving the necessary compliance with the statutory condition. A light showing only to the front would not provide the operator with emergency privileges for stopping, parking, or turning as to vehicles approaching from the rear. Pittman v. Lieffring, 59 Wis. 2d 52, 207 N.W.2d 610 (1973).

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