Aerial roof markings
Encyclopedia
Aerial roof markings are symbols, letters or numbers on the roof of emergency vehicle
s, such as police car
s, fire engines and ambulance
s to enable aircraft to identify them. These markings can be used to identify a specific vehicle, vehicle type or agency. The markings, depending on the vehicle, or information required, may also be displayed on the bonnet
, boot
, or other areas of the vehicle visible from the air.
Local Area Commands vehicle bonnet/roof codes
Specialist squads/units and groups vehicle bonnet/roof codes
Fire and Rescue NSW fit aerial identification markings to appliances that are indicative of the vehicles callsign. Example: "RP001" indicates the appliance is the Rescue Pumper belonging to station 001, the City of Sydney while HH077 indicates the Heavy Hazmat support truck from St Marys fire station.
Fire and Rescue NSW aerial roof ID codes
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service
fits aerial identification numbers to rural fire appliances with the format consisting of the letter "B" (for Bush Fire) and the last 4 digits of the vehicles RTA approved operations plate. Example: “BF-07967” allocates an aerial ID of “7967”. These markings do not denote a vehicles callsign.
have markings of symbols, letters and numbers on their tops to enable aircraft to identify them. These markings show the use of the vehicle, its force code and a vehicle identifying mark or the police division
to which the vehicle belongs.
Not every vehicle displays markings, but those involved in response and traffic generally do. This factor stems from guidelines of the Association of Chief Police Officers
relating to police air operations and pursuit management.
On a typical vehicle roof layout, the Vehicle Usage Marking is preceded by the accordand integer PNC Force Identifier; the individual (and within each organisation, unique) Vehicle Identifier, commonly alphanumeric
, should occupy a second line all by itself.
(PNC) is used by UK police services and other government agencies to store and retrieve data about people, vehicles, and plant and government locations. Regarding roof markings, their inscription helps identifying the regional or institutional affiliation of each car. Note that PNC force codes are also used when custody
records are created, when items are submitted to places such as the Forensic Science Service
laboratory, or when documents are to be passed from one force to another.
, "Dachkennzeichen für Feuerwehrfahrzeuge" (Roof Marking of Fire Engines), issued in November 1981, defines that fire engines should carry their registration plate number; these include the one-to-three letter abbreviation code of the corresponding Landkreis
, thus making regional origin self-evident. The inscription is recommended to be at least 40cm in size; the font color should, in terms of roof painting, be "white on red", or "black on white and aluminium/metallic".
As DIN standards are, however, not generally binding in Germany, but mere recommendations
, the scheme is not used everywhere, with some fire companies preferring visually appealing inscriptions like company name or logo. Many others show their cars' radio call signs (traditionally "Florian
##", cf. de:Funkrufname); over the years, various local efforts have been made to match both designations, aided by district administrations that reserved registered car like designations on principle.
, "Medical vehicles and their equipment - Road ambulances", reissued in 2007, recommends in its "informative" annex A "Recognition", that roofs of ambulance vehicles should bear the Red Cross/Crescent Emblems or the Star of Life
, though use of the latter might be prohibited by copyright in several countries.
Emergency vehicle
An emergency vehicle is any vehicle that is designated and authorized to respond to an emergency. These vehicles are usually operated by designated agencies, often part of the government, but also run by charities, non-governmental organizations and some commercial companies...
s, such as police car
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
s, fire engines and ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
s to enable aircraft to identify them. These markings can be used to identify a specific vehicle, vehicle type or agency. The markings, depending on the vehicle, or information required, may also be displayed on the bonnet
Hood (vehicle)
The hood or bonnet is the hinged cover over the engine of motor vehicles that allows access to the engine compartment for maintenance and repair. In British terminology, hood refers to a fabric cover over the passenger compartment of the car...
, boot
Trunk (automobile)
The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...
, or other areas of the vehicle visible from the air.
Police Vehicles in Australia
Different State police forces in Australia use different roof/aerial markings to designate specific vehicles, duty types and areas.New South Wales Police Force
Local Area Commands vehicle bonnet/roof codes
| AB | Albury | AS | Ashfield | BA | Barwon | BB | Botany Bay | BK | Bankstown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BL | Blue Mountains | BN | Blacktown | BR | Barrier | BU | Burwood | BW | Brisbane Water |
| CA | Campsie | CB | Canobolas | CC | Coffs/Clarence | CEH | Central Hunter | CF | Chifley |
| CI | City Central | CM | Cabramatta | CN | Camden | CS | Castlereagh | CT | Campbelltown |
| CU | Cootmundra | DL | Darling River | DQ | Deniliquin | EB | Eastern Beaches | ES | Eastern Suburbs |
| EW | Eastwood | FA | Fairfield | FL | Flemington | FS | Far South Coast | GF | Griffith |
| GL | Gladesville | GN | Goulburn | GV | Green Valley | HB | Hawkesbury | HI | The Hills |
| HR | Holroyd | HS | Harbourside | HU | Hurstville | HV | Hunter Valley | KU | Ku-Ring-Gai |
| KX | Kings Cross | LE | Leichhardt | LI | Lake Illawarra | LL | Lachlan | LM | Lake Macquarie |
| LP | Liverpool | MD | Mount Druitt | ME | Mudgee | MF | Macquarie Fields | ||
| MG | Manning/Great Lakes | MI | Miranda | ML | Manly | MN | Monaro | MC | Mid North Coast |
| MR | Marrickville | NB | Northern Beaches | NCC | Newcastle City | ND | New England | NS | North Shore |
| NT | Newtown | OR | Orana | OX | Oxley | PA | Parramatta | PE | Penrith |
| PTS | Port Stephens | QH | Quakers Hill | RB | Rose Bay | RF | Redfern | RH | Rosehill |
| RM | Richmond | RX | The Rocks | SG | St George | SH | Surry Hills | SM | St Marys |
| SU | Sutherland | SV | Shoalhaven | TB | Tweed/Byron | TL | Tuggerah Lakes | WG | Wollongong |
| WW | Wagga Wagga | ||||||||
Specialist squads/units and groups vehicle bonnet/roof codes
| CIU | Crash Investigations Unit | CLG | NSW Police College | DOG | Dog Squad | FLT | Fleet trial vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FMS | Fleet Management Services | FSG | Forensic Services Group | HWP | Highway Patrol | MDT | Mobile Data Terminal trial vehicle |
| MEOC | Middle East Organised Crimes Squad | MTD | Mounted Police | NWM | North Western Metro | OSG | Public Order Operations Support Group |
| PDT | Police Driver Training | PORS | Public Order & Riot Squad | R | Police Rescue | RES | Region Enforcement Squad |
| SLP | School Liaison Police | SWM | South West Metro | TOU | Tactical Operations Unit | ICV | Highway Patrol Camera Trial Vehicle |
Fire engines in Australia
New South WalesFire and Rescue NSW fit aerial identification markings to appliances that are indicative of the vehicles callsign. Example: "RP001" indicates the appliance is the Rescue Pumper belonging to station 001, the City of Sydney while HH077 indicates the Heavy Hazmat support truck from St Marys fire station.
Fire and Rescue NSW aerial roof ID codes
| P | Pumper | RP | Rescue Pumper | HP | Hazmat Pumper | HH | Heavy Hazmat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RT | Rescue Tanker | HT | Hazmat Tanker | R (HR) | Rescue (Heavy Rescue) | H (HH) | Hazmat (Heavy Hazmat) |
| AP | Aerial Pump | LP | Ladder PLatform | SEV | Service Exchange Vehicle (spare) | ICV | Incident Control Vehicle |
| SV | Logistical Support Vehicle | FIRU | Fire Investigations & Research Unit | USAR | Urban Search and Rescue | DC | Duty Commander |
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service
New South Wales Rural Fire Service
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the NSW Government. The NSW RFS is responsible for the general administration of rural fire management affairs including administration of the Rural Fire Fighting Fund, co-ordination with local...
fits aerial identification numbers to rural fire appliances with the format consisting of the letter "B" (for Bush Fire) and the last 4 digits of the vehicles RTA approved operations plate. Example: “BF-07967” allocates an aerial ID of “7967”. These markings do not denote a vehicles callsign.
Police Vehicles in the UK
Police vehicles in the United KingdomPolice vehicles in the United Kingdom
Police vehicles in the United Kingdom are hugely varied depending mostly upon the duties that the vehicle is purchased to fulfil, along with the standard of training the driver has received...
have markings of symbols, letters and numbers on their tops to enable aircraft to identify them. These markings show the use of the vehicle, its force code and a vehicle identifying mark or the police division
Police division
A division was the usual term for the largest territorial subdivision of most British police forces. In major reforms of police organisation in the 1990s divisions of many forces were restructured and retitled Basic Command Units , although some forces continue to refer to them as divisions.The...
to which the vehicle belongs.
Not every vehicle displays markings, but those involved in response and traffic generally do. This factor stems from guidelines of the Association of Chief Police Officers
Association of Chief Police Officers
The Association of Chief Police Officers , established in 1948, is a private limited company that leads the development of policing practice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.ACPO provides a forum for chief police officers to share ideas and coordinates the strategic...
relating to police air operations and pursuit management.
Vehicle Usage Markings
- Armed Response Vehicle (ARV)Armed Response VehicleAn armed response vehicle is a type of police car operated by the British police. ARVs are crewed by Authorised Firearms Officers to respond to emergency telephone calls believed to involve firearms or other high-risk situations...
— five-edged star - Traffic/Incident Response Vehicle (IRV)Road Policing UnitThe Road Policing Unit is the term for the Highway patrol within the majority of British police forces.-Responsibilities:RPUs work with the National Roads Policing Strategy, which has five strands:* Casualty reduction.* Counter-terrorism....
— circle - Dog SupportPolice dogA police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
Unit (DSU) — triangle - Public Order (PO)Riot controlRiot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
personnel carrierPolice vanA police van is a type of vehicle operated by police forces. Police vans are usually employed for the transportation of prisoners inside a specially adapted cell in the vehicle, or for the rapid transportation of a number of officers to an incident.- History :Early police vans were in the form of...
— square
On a typical vehicle roof layout, the Vehicle Usage Marking is preceded by the accordand integer PNC Force Identifier; the individual (and within each organisation, unique) Vehicle Identifier, commonly alphanumeric
Alphanumeric
Alphanumeric is a combination of alphabetic and numeric characters, and is used to describe the collection of Latin letters and Arabic digits or a text constructed from this collection. There are either 36 or 62 alphanumeric characters. The alphanumeric character set consists of the numbers 0 to...
, should occupy a second line all by itself.
Unique PNC force code
The Police National ComputerPolice National Computer
The Police National Computer is a computer system used extensively by law enforcement organisations across the United Kingdom. It went live in 1974 and now consists of several databases available 24 hours a day, giving access to information of national and local significance.From October 2009, the...
(PNC) is used by UK police services and other government agencies to store and retrieve data about people, vehicles, and plant and government locations. Regarding roof markings, their inscription helps identifying the regional or institutional affiliation of each car. Note that PNC force codes are also used when custody
Custody suite
A custody suite is a designated area within a police station designed and adapted to process and detain those who have been arrested, or who are there for purposes such as answering bail....
records are created, when items are submitted to places such as the Forensic Science Service
Forensic Science Service
The Forensic Science Service is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provides forensic science services to the police forces and government agencies of England and Wales, as well as other countries.-History:...
laboratory, or when documents are to be passed from one force to another.
Fire engines in Germany
In Germany, DIN 14035Deutsches Institut für Normung
is the German national organization for standardization and is that country's ISO member body. DIN is a Registered German Association headquartered in Berlin...
, "Dachkennzeichen für Feuerwehrfahrzeuge" (Roof Marking of Fire Engines), issued in November 1981, defines that fire engines should carry their registration plate number; these include the one-to-three letter abbreviation code of the corresponding Landkreis
Districts of Germany
The districts of Germany are known as , except in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein where they are known simply as ....
, thus making regional origin self-evident. The inscription is recommended to be at least 40cm in size; the font color should, in terms of roof painting, be "white on red", or "black on white and aluminium/metallic".
As DIN standards are, however, not generally binding in Germany, but mere recommendations
Best practice
A best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark...
, the scheme is not used everywhere, with some fire companies preferring visually appealing inscriptions like company name or logo. Many others show their cars' radio call signs (traditionally "Florian
Saint Florian
Florian lived in the time of the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian, and was commander of the imperial army in the Roman province of Noricum. In addition to his military duties, he was also responsible for organizing firefighting brigades....
##", cf. de:Funkrufname); over the years, various local efforts have been made to match both designations, aided by district administrations that reserved registered car like designations on principle.
Ambulances in the EU
CEN 1789CEN 1789
CEN 1789:2007 is the European Union standard for ambulances and medical transportation vehicles. This European standard specifies requirements for the design, testing, performance and equipping of road ambulances used for the transport and care of patients...
, "Medical vehicles and their equipment - Road ambulances", reissued in 2007, recommends in its "informative" annex A "Recognition", that roofs of ambulance vehicles should bear the Red Cross/Crescent Emblems or the Star of Life
Star of Life
The Star of Life is a blue, six-pointed star, outlined with a white border which features the Rod of Asclepius in the center, originally designed and governed by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration...
, though use of the latter might be prohibited by copyright in several countries.