Plan the truck before you drill. This page walks a typical POV and pickup emergency build with Redline: how power actually reaches the light, what does the switching, where each fixture mounts, and the parts we would put on our own trucks.
Most installs that come back to us went wrong before a single hole was made. Power type, total load and sight lines get decided after the drill comes out. Decide them first.
Wire colours, functions, published draw and fuse size are printed for your exact SKU. Colours and functions change between dual-colour and tri-colour builds of the same head. If the sheet does not print a number, do not guess it — ask us and we will pull the official figure.
Add up the published draw of everything you intend to put on one output, then check it against the amp rating printed for that output. Staying under the printed number is the whole job. Going over it is what cooks a controller.
Land power and a clean chassis ground, confirm the circuit, then wire whatever else that sheet lists — sync, dim, halo, marker, program. Test every function before you seat a bezel or put interior trim back.
On a POV emergency build the chain is short. Battery, protection, siren, lights. The Redline Hot Zone carries its own relay outputs, so on a typical POV it is the siren and the switched source for the light circuits.
The only source of the full load. Take the feed from the battery or a proper distribution point, and ground back to clean chassis metal — not to paint, not to a seat bolt you hope is bonded.
First thing after the battery, as close to it as you can get. The Hot Zone product page prints Max 100A @12V and Fuse 30A × 3 for the amplifier's battery feed. Protection goes on the battery side, before anything you added.
200W dual tone siren with onboard relay outputs for the lights. Mount the amplifier indoors and put the control panel or handheld within reach of the operator. This is what switches the light circuits.
Each circuit lands on a Hot Zone output sized for its draw. Land the fixture's power and ground first, then the pattern, sync and colour-mode leads that sheet lists.
The amplifier's own outputs switch the lights, so a typical POV build does not need extra automotive relays — as long as every light circuit stays under the output amps printed in the manual. The Hot Zone instruction manual lists the light control outputs as 15A × 3, 10A × 3, 2A × 2 and 0.25A × 4. On the J6 high-current harness, OUTPUT1–3 are max 15A each and OUTPUT4 is max 10A, for connecting auxiliary devices.
If a circuit needs more than the printed output can carry, that circuit gets an external relay. That is the only case where one is called for here.
Max 100A @12V with fuse 30A × 3 is the amplifier's battery feed. The 15A / 10A / 2A / 0.25A figures are the per-output light control ratings. Size a light circuit against the output it lands on, never against the battery feed.
We will not invent an amp draw, a fuse size, a wattage, a flash pattern or a part number for your build. If a figure is not printed on the sheet in the box, in the manual, or on the product page, email us and we will pull the official number.
Surge, Surge Mini and Surge Max are all published as 5-wire heads. Two of those five are the boring ones. The rest are why one head can behave differently responding than it does parked on scene. Functions and colours below are taken straight from each manual — and they are not the same across the family, so the table is split by build.
| Head | Mode 1 | Mode 2 | Mode 3 | Mode 3 factory default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surge · tri-colour | Red | White | Green | Color 3, FP#18 Steady Scene |
| Surge · dual-colour | Red | White | Red + white together — no green | Color 1 alt. 2 |
| Surge Mini · tri-colour | Red | White | Green | Color 3, FP#18 Steady Scene |
| Surge Mini · dual-colour | Red | White | Green | Color 1 alt. 2 — not Steady Scene |
| Surge Max · tri-colour | Red | White | Green | Color 3, FP#18 Steady Scene |
| Surge Max · dual-colour | Red | White | Green | Color 1 alt. 2, FP#8 Double — not Steady Scene |
Mode fuse ratings are per head: 2A on Surge, 1A on Surge Mini, 3A on Surge Max. “Color 1/2/3” is the manual’s own wording for the colours in the combination you ordered, so Color 3 is whatever your third colour happens to be — read the label on your head, not this page.
On these heads the warning-mode leads are the switched feeds. You do not run a permanent +12V and then trigger it — you put voltage on the mode you want. That is why each mode lead carries the head's published fuse rating: 2A on Surge, 3A on Surge Max.
The manuals print an order of precedence for when more than one mode is live at once: on Surge and Surge Max it is Mode 3 > Mode 2 > Mode 1. Explorer Flex publishes four modes, Mode 4 > Mode 3 > Mode 2 > Mode 1.
Tie the sync lead of every head together and they flash as one group instead of as six separate lights arguing with each other. The manuals for Surge, Surge Max, Dune and Explorer Flex all document doing this, and all of them add the same condition: every head on the bus has to be set to the same flash pattern or synchronisation will not hold.
Explorer Flex puts it plainly: “For Flash Pattern Sync, connect YELLOW wires of all lightheads together.” Both Explorers in the suggested build go on that bus.
Rally's manual does not document a sync lead, so we do not draw Rally on the sync bus and we will not tell you it syncs.
Each warning mode is its own input and each saves its own flash pattern, so landing two Hot Zone outputs on two different mode leads gives the operator two behaviours from the same heads. The published pattern counts are the limit of what we will tell you: Surge is 3 modes and 8 phases; Surge Max is 3 modes and 2 phases; Dune is 2 warning modes and 16 flash patterns. Which pattern you run, and which one you park on, is your department's call and your state's rules.
Surge, Surge Mini and Surge Max are sold as warning lights, and that is what they are on the product page and on the box. What the manuals also give you is a mode lead built for sitting still.
Warning Mode 3 factory-defaults to Color 3 with FP#18 “Steady Scene” on tri-colour Surge, Surge Mini and Surge Max. That is the published default in each of those manuals, and it is why a Red/Blue/White head can sit steady on white when green is hot — Color 3 is the third colour in whatever combination you ordered, so check yours rather than assuming.
Responding runs off the other two: red is Warning Mode 1, white is Warning Mode 2. Land two Hot Zone outputs on two different mode leads and the operator gets both behaviours from the same heads, with the manuals' order of precedence deciding which wins — Mode 3 over Mode 2 over Mode 1.
The colours below are printed in the official manuals, so we can give them to you. What you cannot do is assume one build wires like another:
Functions on this page, colours from the sheet for your SKU. Every manual is linked at the bottom, and if yours is missing, email us and we will send the right one.
A Mode 3 head on Steady Scene is a warning light holding a steady pattern. When you want a fixture built to light a work area, Redline's are Nebula, Balsam and Dawn, on our Redline scene lights page. FireTech's work and area range is here. Dune is not one of them — it stays intersection warning.
Emergency response and utility light control are two different jobs, and they take two different boxes. Pick by the job, not by the button count.
Our first choice for a POV emergency build. 200W dual tone, 12–24V DC, with onboard relay outputs that switch the light circuits, so the siren and the lighting control are one install. Available with a control panel or with a handheld controller, both with PA. 2-year warranty.
A smaller 100W siren, PA and controller with a handheld controller and a magnetic mic mount. 100W, max 30A @12V, fuse 35A, 5.36" × 4.98" × 4.47", 12–24V DC, 4×5A light-control outputs, 2-year warranty. The manual lists WAIL, YELP, PHASER and HILO. One hundred watts means one speaker, not two — one RL-100 on a Resonance-only truck.
Resonance is a siren and controller. The kit is the amplifier plus the handheld. Its four 5A light-control outputs are the switched source for lights and auxiliary devices. SW1–SW4 each load 5 amps max; SW1 may be used for the primary warning light. Built-in 5A blade fuse on each of the four outputs; 15A blade fuse for the amplifier; user-supplied main fuse 35A at 12–24V DC. It is not the Hot Zone, and Hot Zone output ratings do not apply here.
Architect is a compact switch panel for non-emergency and utility work, or as a dedicated light-control panel alongside a siren. It is not what we put in as the POV emergency controller. Published: 3 inputs, one 15A output plus seven 10A outputs (45A total), 10–30V DC, fuse 50A. Redline controllers, including Architect, carry a 1-year limited warranty from date of manufacture, parts only, with no advance exchange.
A POV running off the vehicle battery does not need a power supply. You need one when the install is fed from shore power or a generator instead of a battery — a shop bench, a bay, or apparatus wired that way.
XPC units are AC in, DC out. They are for DC lighting that needs a converted supply. Match the published voltage on the light, and size the supply to the total fixture load plus margin. Call to confirm.
Live options on our FireTech Power Supplies page: 150W 24V DC, 185W 24V DC, 320W 24V DC, 600W 12V DC, 600W 24V DC.
Official AC pole-mounted scene lights use the -110- pattern. SL-15 AC (FT-SL-15-*-110-*) takes 90–277V AC. The converter is a MeanWell HLG supplied with the light. FT-SL-X-15 AC is also 90–277V AC with a MeanWell HLG. Pole-mounted Guardian / Guardian Elite AC (FT-SL-GSM-110-*, FT-SL-GESM-110-*) take 0–277V AC; Power Supply included. Those are not an XPC install.
Where the power chain lives and what bolts to the outside of the truck. Numbers on the drawing match the list underneath, so you can read this on a phone in a parking lot. This is the suggested ten-head build; from the side you only see one of each pair.
The only source of the full load. Ground back to clean chassis metal.
First thing after the battery, on the amplifier’s battery feed.
Hot Zone feed: max 100A @12V · fuse 30A × 3Amplifier mounts indoors, control panel or handheld within reach of the operator. Its onboard outputs switch every light circuit below.
200W dual tone (100W × 2) · 12–24V DC · light outputs 15A×3, 10A×3, 2A×2, 0.25A×4 · 2-year warrantyForward warning where oncoming traffic actually looks. One each side of centre.
18 tri-colour LEDs · 5.22" × 1.25" × 0.46" · 12V DC · max 1.04A @12V · fuse 2A · 5-wire, 3 modes, 8 phasesIntersection warning, the angle a bumper light cannot cover. One per side. Intersection warning only.
180° · 3.81" × 1.36" × 1.41" · 12–24V DC · max 1.14A @12V · fuse 2A · 2 warning modes, 16 flash patternsSilicone interior bar that conforms to curved glass with no flashback into the cab. One forward, one on the rear glass. Sold as singles, not as a pair — order two. Both go on the sync bus.
11.14" × 2.09" × 0.79" · 12–24V DC · max 3.2A @12V · fuse 4A · 30° for dash and windshield, 65° for vertical or rear glassSide warning and traffic direction along the truck. One stick per side.
5-module (~65") or 6-module (~77") · 12–24V DC · 5-mod 4.7A / 56.4W / fuse 6A · 6-mod 5.6A / 67.2W / fuse 7A · mounts sold separatelyRear warning, one each side of the tailgate. Surge Max is the high-output head in the Surge family, and its green Mode 3 lead is the one to park on — or remap to Low Power.
36 tri-colour LEDs · 5.22" × 1.88" × 0.46" · 12–24V DC · max 2.24A @12V · peak 26.88W · fuse 3A · 5-wire, 3 modes, 2 phases · 5-year warrantyThe Hot Zone is a 200W dual-tone amplifier and the RL-100 is a 100W speaker, so the suggested build carries two. Sold individually.
RL-100-U · 100W · 121 dB · 11-ohm · 6.33" × 6.33" × 2.96" · U bracket included · SAE J1849, CA Title 13 · 2-year warrantyThe same truck from above, to check coverage front, both sides and rear, and to see the harness runs. Fixtures that bolt to a vertical face cannot be seen in a plan view, so they are shown as callouts with a line to their mount point.
The only source of the full load. Ground back to clean chassis metal.
First thing after the battery, on the amplifier’s battery feed.
Hot Zone feed: max 100A @12V · fuse 30A × 3Amplifier mounts indoors, control panel or handheld within reach of the operator. Its onboard outputs switch every light circuit below.
200W dual tone (100W × 2) · 12–24V DC · light outputs 15A×3, 10A×3, 2A×2, 0.25A×4 · 2-year warrantyForward warning where oncoming traffic actually looks. One each side of centre.
18 tri-colour LEDs · 5.22" × 1.25" × 0.46" · 12V DC · max 1.04A @12V · fuse 2A · 5-wire, 3 modes, 8 phasesIntersection warning, the angle a bumper light cannot cover. One per side. Intersection warning only.
180° · 3.81" × 1.36" × 1.41" · 12–24V DC · max 1.14A @12V · fuse 2A · 2 warning modes, 16 flash patternsSilicone interior bar that conforms to curved glass with no flashback into the cab. One forward, one on the rear glass. Sold as singles, not as a pair — order two. Both go on the sync bus.
11.14" × 2.09" × 0.79" · 12–24V DC · max 3.2A @12V · fuse 4A · 30° for dash and windshield, 65° for vertical or rear glassSide warning and traffic direction along the truck. One stick per side.
5-module (~65") or 6-module (~77") · 12–24V DC · 5-mod 4.7A / 56.4W / fuse 6A · 6-mod 5.6A / 67.2W / fuse 7A · mounts sold separatelyRear warning, one each side of the tailgate. Surge Max is the high-output head in the Surge family, and its green Mode 3 lead is the one to park on — or remap to Low Power.
36 tri-colour LEDs · 5.22" × 1.88" × 0.46" · 12–24V DC · max 2.24A @12V · peak 26.88W · fuse 3A · 5-wire, 3 modes, 2 phases · 5-year warrantyThe Hot Zone is a 200W dual-tone amplifier and the RL-100 is a 100W speaker, so the suggested build carries two. Sold individually.
RL-100-U · 100W · 121 dB · 11-ohm · 6.33" × 6.33" × 2.96" · U bracket included · SAE J1849, CA Title 13 · 2-year warrantyA suggested starting point for one crew-cab pickup — not a requirement, and not a legal minimum. Departments add or subtract to match their own rules on colour, count and placement. Prices are on the product pages so you always see the current figure — we sell at MAP. Ask for a custom list if you want it specced to your vehicle.
Ten heads, one controller and two speakers. That is a starting point for a marked POV, and it is the build drawn above. A command vehicle that only needs front and rear can drop the running board sticks; a truck that works a lot of intersections may want more than two Dunes.
Two things that catch people on the order form. The Hot Zone is a 200W dual-tone amplifier and the RL-100 is a 100W speaker, so a dual-tone build takes two of them, and they are sold individually rather than as a pair. Explorer Flex is the same — singles, not a pair, so two means two line items.
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All live, all things we would fit for the right job — just not part of the default POV build above.
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Same order every time. It is faster than going back in behind a bezel.
Departments can order custom. Email us the vehicle and the lights you want on it and we will put a short list together. When the job needs a shop, we will say so. info@fireattackindustries.com
Manufacturer documents, straight from the source. If the answer is not here, the sheet in the box or our team has it.
HiViz technical support: support@hivizleds.com
Email us the vehicle and what it has to do. We will put a list together, flag anything that needs a shop, and pull the official numbers so nobody is guessing at a fuse size. info@fireattackindustries.com
