The US has taken a monetary penalty approach to getting passengers to use their seat belts. The US DOT and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also continue to promote restraint and other vehicle safety on the roads. There is also a Traffic Safety Marketing site with free resources for running your own campaign.

Across “the pond” in the United Kingdom, awareness has taken a life-saving focus.

The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership is campaigning for occupants to “Embrace Life” and realize the importance of wearing a safety restraint. The “Embrace Life” video has been seen by millions of people throughout the world, with no monetary penalty.

Related:
Distracted Driving
Speed Limit Reduction Ads
NAVY Seat Belt Commercial

The ResQMe is a simple, compact and easy to use device for escaping from a vehicle. I have personally used a ResQMe for gaining entry into vehicles when vehicle doors are jammed and the occupants are entrapped and unconscious.

The window punch spike easily shatters tempered glass on the side windows of a vehicle. As with other safety devices, the ResQMe also has a safety belt/restraint cutter built in. I never have had to use the blade, but I can attest to the window spike/punch performing as advertised.

Below is a brief video of the window punch in action.

The LifeHammer is the older cousin of ResQMe. Both devices punch through the side windows and slice through an uncooperative seat restraint, but the ResQMe is smaller and can attach to a key ring or any place with a zip tie.

There are similar tools on the market, but the ResQMe is compact, reusable and attaches anywhere.

The ResQMe is a simple and easy to use device that can be secured on every emergency vehicle in your fleet and put in every one of your household vehicles. As with any device, ensure that everyone in your department/family knows where the rescue utility is located and how to use it.

We have several (new) ResQMe devices to give away - please complete the form (expires July 31, 2010) and we will mail the tools to the winners.

If you don’t win one from us, they are also available on Amazon.com (two pack).

Related:
PowerFlare LED Give-away

• Boss Behaviors
• Legal traps to avoid
• Time management
• Coaching and counseling
• Progressive discipline
• Risk management
• Case studies
• Strengthening your credibility
• Improving your productivity
• Communications
• Ethics

The first part of the bootcamp focuses on the transition from buddy to boss and the ethical boundaries encountered. Managing your team, fleet, and organization while being ethical and balancing your personal life is *the* challenge. There are plenty of positives of being promoted to a supervisor: new title, increased pay, and being off the road. There also some negatives, as well as challenges that clinical education does not prepare a new supervisor for.

So often, departments place more emphasis on the promotional process than preparing newly promoted supervisors to function effectively.

Jon covers the different types of employees (A, B, C), and the corrective action needed for each type of employee. A employees, or “alpha dogs”, need little direction and operate on a conscious competence. They are role models for other employees. B employees comprise approximately seventy percent of the workforce. They are the anchors in the organization and are unconsciously competent. The remaining ten percent, C employees, are unconsciously incompetent. C employees require a lot of supervision and can consume almost ninety percent of management’s time!

You’ll learn from current experts who’ll share the bottom line on over 20 essential topics that new supervisors must know.

Jon discusses how experts, such as Retired Fire Chief Alan Brunacini from Phoenix, Arizona, focuses on simple objectives, such as getting to the scene promptly, giving a good first impression, and being nice (customer service). Your crew needs to know what you expect of them, and they need to strive for the natural and common-sense principles of responding and treating patients. How you convey the Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines (SOP/SOG) is your challenge. Whether you adopt the Red-Yellow-Green coloring system, use what already is in place, or design your own process will be what you have to fall back on when there is a deviation from procedure. The interactive workshop will dive into case studies to strengthen your time management & productivity, communications, ethics and progressive discipline.

Jon talks about how EMT training doesn’t set the newbie up for success in your organization. As the supervisor, you need to have a mentor or Field Training Officer (FTO) to guide the newcomer. There is more to the standard policy and procedures to be covered; socialization and organizational culture are another component of the agency process.

Digging deeper, there are some organizational problems cannot be fixed by training. Attitude and effort cannot be amended with a training session. Assessing performance problems take considerable analysis and energy.

Jon and I also discussed how current trends are affecting EMS in the past ten years. Many organizations are struggling to do more with less. There are fewer resources available and demands for Emergency Services are increasing. EMS doesn’t always receive the same allocation of resources that other first responder colleagues get. EMS also doesn’t get the same respect, which can stem from the lack of team work and cooperation behind the curve as establishing EMS as an occupation.

Clinically, Emergency Medicine is driven by complex decisions and procedures. A lot of the decisions are pushed back to Advanced Life Support (ALS) providers, which changes the job. This may be good for patient care, but certainly makes it harder for volunteer or mixed agencies to field a crew. It is hard for EMTs to develop a skill base where ALS immediately assumes care. Basic EMS providers or first responders do not get to “practice” their skills if ALS is on the ambulance or arriving in a fly-car the same time as the basic crew arrives. There is less of a mental challenge with an ALS provider on scene than having a Basic EMT have to adapt to a situation.

As a provider you have to bring your A Game to tackle the job. This creates a big issue for the occasional medic, possibly making them extinct. More and more procedures and equipment are added to the “pre-hospital toolbox”. These responsibilities have shifted from a controlled in-hospital setting to the field. As a provider, you previously assisted with medications. Now you administer medications, and more medications are added each year. The number and variety of instruments, methods and technology to be familiar/proficient with all precipitate a battle for volunteers and agencies.

Sometimes policy changes result in additional responsibilities being shifted onto agencies. “Clinical performance and supervision of staff are two areas that the organization has to concern themselves with more. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just what I see”, Jon said.

These are insights of recent changes and predictions of what will continue to occur. With the insight of future challenges, the Bootcamp topics will help better prepare your squad to adapt to these developments.

Intended audience includes providers of emergency medical care, including first responders, EMTs, Paramedics, fire fighters, critical care nurses, and all those involved in pre-hospital, emergency and trauma care.

Topics:

• Between Good And Evil - Predicting and Preventing Violence in American Institutions
• Precious Cargo - Complex Pediatric Emergencies
• Tactical and Operational Medicine - A Primer
• Battlefield Emergency Care - Lessons Learned in Baghdad
• Picking Up The Pieces - Managing Catastrophic Emergencies One Patient At A Time
• Resiliency, Heroes And Healing

National faculty including:

• Roger Depue, Ph.D., Retired Unit Chief of FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit
• Scott Bolleter, BS, EMT-P, Flight Paramedic
• Lt. Col. John Groves, RN, MSN, Clinical Nurse Specialist U.S. Army
• Greg Winsor, RN, BSN, FBI Special Agent Operational Medicine Coordinator

For more information download the Brochure/Application.

Chevy is also racing to market with the Chevy Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV).


The Caprice is reported to be an alternative to the Chevy Impala and Tahoe.

Of the sedans, I like the appearance and design of the Ford Interceptor, but the Chevy Caprice over powers the Interceptor.

More to come on the sedans and the yet to be revealed Ford Police Utility Interceptor. Can it compete with the Chevy Tahoe? Many consider the Tahoe to be too expensive, but last month it was rated best for life-cycle cost.

Full disclosure - I’ve professionally driven previous and current versions of the emergency service Caprice, Crown Victoria and Tahoe. My favorite emergency fleet vehicle is the 2009-2010 Chevy Tahoe. There is more than adequate space, it handles well (unlike the previous truck style), it can take a hit, and its appearance is quite intimidating!

Related: E7 Police Concept Vehicle

Safety on the road for transportation workers and emergency personnel are worthy investments in new technologies. However, I remain skeptical of this concept. There are too many motorists that would enjoy bursting balloons.

via YD

I would opt for a solar highway barrel with LEDs and GPS positioned by a robotic base all remotely controlled by the man behind the curtain. Until then, concrete barricades and heavy duty impact attenuator trucks will suffice.

Related:
Traffic Safety Ideas
PowerFlare LED Beacon
Distracted Driving
Times Distracted Driving

Not only phone use when driving, but speeding, improper restraint and impaired operation also contribute to driving fatalities.

Oprah has embraced the deadly obsession of distracted driving. She states that texting while driving is comparable to driving drunk.

Other resources:
Secretary of Transportation
Zero Fatalities
Focus Driven
Safe Driving

Feb 23 Update: Video of SMS Car Collision

Traffic & highway safety is a major concern of all motorists, law enforcement, and insurance companies. New technologies are slowly introduced to the motoring public. Many motorists are slow to adapt (or become confused) by new systems and signs, despite the intended usefulness. Traffic lights with count-down timers can be either be informative, or encourage speed contests.

Highway animal instruments are being designed to alert the animal and illuminate hazards for the motorists:

LED illuminated speed humps that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy as a vehicle drives over the speed bump, storing the energy for use later in low light conditions.

And in the off-road area, the ultimate in rural fire fighting

[speed] Days in hospital bed
Chance of crash: [speed]%
Accident bills: $[speed],000

As someone who has been involved in a rear-end collision can appreciate this clever campaign. Via