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WHEN THE LIGHTS DON’T WARN — THEY PULL

December 13, 2025December 13, 2025Benjamin1 Comment

A SPECIAL PUBLICATION FOR DECEMBER 13th, 2025

Are modern LED emergency strobes increasing the risk to first responders on America’s roadways?

3–5 minutes

First responders are trained to notice patterns long before studies are commissioned or policies are rewritten. Sometimes danger announces itself not with a single catastrophic event, but with repetition—quiet, unsettling repetition. Over a single 24-hour period, I recorded eight separate headlines. Each headline involved police officers being struck by vehicles while working crashes or traffic stops. Eight. Different states. Different agencies. Same outcome. This situation raises a controversial and long overdue question. Are modern LED strobe lights unintentionally putting first responders in greater danger?

There was a time when emergency lights rotated. They swept. They moved with rhythm. The old beacons gave drivers something important—a visual break. A moment for the brain to process direction, distance, and motion. Today’s LED systems don’t rotate; they pulse. Rapidly.

Aggressively. Relentlessly. High-intensity strobes which floods the visual field, especially at night. Instead of guiding a driver away from danger, it overwhelms the brain’s ability to react. The result, in theory, is not panic—but fixation. The eyes lock on. The vehicle drifts toward the brightest point. Not out of intent, but neurological confusion.

Some call it “target fixation,” a phenomenon well known to pilots, motorcyclists, and tactical drivers. Under stress, humans often steer toward what they’re staring at—even when that object shows danger. Combine that instinct with modern LED strobes. These strobes flash faster than the brain comfortably processes. The warning light becomes a lure. A hypnotic point of focus. A tragic beacon.

Eight Officers Were Struck In 24 Hours. Different States. Same Strobe Style Lighting.

Is it time to ask whether modern emergency strobes are warning drivers—or pulling them in?

Within just one day, these were the headlines recorded:

• 1 arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated after rear-ending a police cruiser on I-465

• Las Vegas police officer injured after vehicle hit while investigating a separate crash

• Effingham County deputy hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle, authorities confirm

• Police cruiser struck by car, officer injured in Naugatuck

• State trooper vehicle damaged after being hit during a traffic stop

• Norman police officer critically injured after being struck by a car on State Highway 9

• Winston-Salem police officer injured after impaired driver crashed into three patrol cars

• Waterbury man injured Naugatuck officer in hit-and-run crash

Eight incidents. One recurring element: emergency lighting designed to protect, now contributing to harm.

This is not an indictment of technology, nor a dismissal of impaired or reckless driving. Accountability still matters. But safety demands that we ask difficult questions—even when the answers challenge long-standing assumptions. If the very lights meant to warn motorists are instead disorienting them, then tradition, training, and procurement policies deserve re-examination.

Officers and firefighters shouldn’t have to stand in the road. They shouldn’t be wondering whether the light behind them is helping. They shouldn’t wonder if it’s painting a target on their back.

Sometimes progress requires us to look backward. Sometimes the old way worked better. And sometimes, the most dangerous thing on the roadside isn’t the driver who fails to slow down. Instead, it’s the light that never lets them look away.

This isn’t meant to be the final word — it’s meant to start a conversation.

If you’re a first responder, dispatcher, firefighter, EMT, tow operator, or a motorist, your experience matters. If you have ever felt disoriented by modern emergency lighting, your experience matters.

Have you noticed drivers drifting toward scenes instead of away from them? Do today’s LED strobes feel different than the rotating lights of the past? Or do you believe visibility has improved safety overall?

Share your thoughts, experiences, or observations in the comments. Respectful discussion is encouraged. If patterns are being noticed on the roadside long before they’re studied in boardrooms, it’s worth listening. Lives depend on it.

About the Author:

Benjamin Groff is a former police officer and radio news anchor. He has hosted programs for CNN and ABC News affiliates in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Wyoming. His career in law enforcement began in 1980 and lasted more than two decades. This gave him first hand insight into the criminal mind and public safety. Moreover, it provided him with an understanding of the human stories that often go untold. His writing draws on these experiences, blending street-level truth with a journalist’s eye for the bigger picture.

be advised—a signal-82 subject is trapped in a burning vehicle –– The Call I Remember

November 12, 2024BenjaminLeave a comment

Groff Media 2024© Truth Endures IMDbPro

Presented by benandsteve.com By: Benjamin Groff II©

In law enforcement, some memories haunt you, especially the ones from the most harrowing nights on the job. I was an emergency dispatcher for a police department in southwest Oklahoma, responsible for dispatching fire, police, and ambulance services across five communities. Nights could get overwhelming, but one Saturday evening stands out.

Calls had been constant. Officers were busy responding to domestic disturbances, prowler sightings, burglaries, and other emergencies. In the 1980s, our department monitored Channel 9 on a citizen’s band radio, the go-to emergency frequency.

After 1:00 AM, a call cut through the static:

“Please help—we have an EMERGENCY!”

The voice was frantic. I picked up the station radio and replied, “This is Carnegie Police Department. Go ahead with your emergency traffic.”

The caller explained that a car had veered off the highway east of town, hit a ditch, and burst into flames. The driver was trapped inside. There was no time to lose. I quickly alerted the local police unit, activated the volunteer fire and ambulance lines, and relayed the details.

“Carnegie, Unit 2, be advised—a signal-82 subject is trapped in a burning vehicle near Carlin Lawrence Airport, east of Carnegie on Highway 9.”

The unit acknowledged and responded immediately. Meanwhile, I could hear the fire chief coordinating firefighters over the phone, and the ambulance confirmed they were en route.

Since the crash was outside city limits, I switched to the state’s point-to-point frequency to contact the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

“Carnegie Police Department to Lawton OHP—rush traffic.”

The “rush traffic” designation signaled an urgent, life-or-death call. The OHP dispatcher responded immediately, and I relayed the details. Within seconds, they were alerting highway patrol units. Nearby sheriff’s deputies also began converging on the scene.

From the initial call, the first responders arrived in just over two minutes. The fire department reached the scene in under seven minutes, and the ambulance arrived by minute eight. The Highway Patrol, coming from the county seat 25 miles away, arrived about 30 minutes later.

Tragically, there was a home nearby, less than half a block from where the car crashed. The residents had slept through the commotion, unaware of the horror unfolding so close. Later, we discovered that the vehicle was registered to someone living in that house— their son. Breaking the news was a gut-wrenching moment for all of us.

The medical examiner arrived around 4:00 AM. Once the flames had subsided, investigators could finally assess the scene. The examiner determined that the driver had died on impact; the fire had not been the cause. If the driver had died from the flames, he would have shown signs of struggling for breath, but there were none. After sending the body for a complete analysis and identification through dental records, investigators believed that he’d likely fallen asleep at the wheel on his way home from a party. There was no indication of intoxication.

The smell of a burning body lingers. For days, sometimes weeks, it haunts those who encounter it. It’s one of the harshest experiences for civilians to witness, let alone the emergency responders who encounter it repeatedly. Nothing truly prepares you for a night like that, even for the most seasoned law enforcement and fire personnel.

Hank and The Little Red Fire Truck

May 11, 2024BenjaminLeave a comment

Fire Station 12 stood proudly in the heart of the bustling city, a symbol of protection and service. Named in honor of the fusion of Fire Stations 1 and 2, it held a legacy of bravery and dedication within its walls. At its helm was Hank, the seasoned veteran who had witnessed the evolution of firefighting firsthand.

Hank’s connection to the station ran deep, rooted in the early days when he and the Little Red Fire Truck epitomized heroism. Together, they had faced the fiercest blazes and emerged victorious, earning the community’s admiration. But as time passed, the dynamics shifted, and modernization took hold.

The Little Red Fire Truck, once a beacon of hope, now stood relegated to parades and backup duty. Hank, too, found himself on the sidelines more often, overshadowed by the younger firefighters and their state-of-the-art equipment. Yet, his dedication to the station never wavered.

Fate intervened on a warm afternoon when grass fires raged, and the station buzzed with activity. A desperate call for help echoed through the halls, signaling a mother and child trapped in a burning home. Hank knew he had to act swiftly with the other firefighters tied up on distant calls.

Without hesitation, he usurped the Little Red Fire Truck, a solitary figure against the backdrop of chaos. Ignoring protocol, he raced through the streets, the vintage engine roaring with renewed purpose. Upon Hank’s arrival at the scene, flames licked at the sky, and a crowd gathered, helpless.

Undeterred, Hank sprang into action, orchestrating a daring rescue. With precision born of experience, he deployed the aging truck’s capabilities, tapping into its reservoir of courage and resilience. Hank ventured into the inferno as the flames danced menacingly, emerging triumphant with the mother and child in tow.

The neighborhood erupted in cheers, and the world took notice, captivated by the spectacle of one man and his faithful companion defying the odds. Unbeknownst to Hank, his courage had transcended local acclaim, sparking a global wave of admiration.

But amidst the accolades, Hank remained grounded, his focus unwavering. As he extinguished the last embers of the blaze, a familiar figure approached – the Fire Chief, a mix of pride and relief etched on his face.

In a candid moment, the Chief revealed the bureaucratic hurdles that had hindered the station’s effectiveness, expressing a wish for more like Hank and his beloved Little Red Fire Truck. Yet, Hank, ever humble, pondered the Chief’s words, grappling with the shifting landscape of firefighting.

In the quiet moments that followed, as Hank bid farewell to another day of service, he found solace in the familiar embrace of the Little Red Fire Truck. With a promise to uphold its legacy, he embarked on the journey home, the echoes of the day’s heroics lingering in his heart.

For Hank, retirement loomed on the horizon, a bittersweet inevitability. But as long as the Little Red Fire Truck stood by his side, he knew their legacy would endure, a testament to the timeless virtues of courage, camaraderie, and unwavering resolve.