Fire and police departments across the country currently use 425, Inc.’s Guardian Angel, a wearable light bar, to give their emergency response personnel the extra visibility they need as an additional safety tool, as well as provide the guiding light to fi nd each other in an emergency.
When Seconds Count
In the world of emergency response, seconds – not minutes or hours – are often what make the difference. Rick*, a firefighter in Wisconsin, contacted 425, Inc. with such a story when his fire department received an emergency call from the local police department one summer night. A person was in need of medical attention – and Rick and his crew knew they didn’t have a lot of time.
问题是他们不知道的确切位置emergency situation was – they had the block in the neighborhood, but no physical address – and so they began the arduous process of driving up and down, keeping lines of communication open. But vocal communication wasn’t enough to get them to where they needed to be – and they knew the clock was ticking.
“Then all of sudden, one of the police officers turned on her Guardian Angel – and it was like night turning into day; that’s how clear their location was,” remembers Rick. “We were able to triage the patient on site and get them to the hospital for emergency surgery. That person is still with us today, because we were able to locate them in time.”
In addition to the help provided in the above situation, Rick is quick to point out that in his role as a firefighter, he envisions numerous scenarios where the Guardian Angel will provide the light they need on the job. “In smoke-filled houses and rooms, we often can’t see more than a few feet in front of us — which means that we can’t see where our partners are located, and civilians can’t locate us to help get them to safety,” he said. “The Guardian Angel changes all that.”
The Colors of Safety
As with Rick, since the launch of 425, Inc.’s new Guardian Angel in late 2013, emergency respond- ers across the country have been able to benefit from the additional safety provided by the industry’s first wearable light bar.
Initially designed for law enforcement with its signature red and blue flashing lights, the Guardian Angel is now used broadly across all EMS divisions, and features an array of customized color combinations. In fact, based on feedback from initial firefighters testing the product, 425, Inc. is launching a new line of colors that can be used to signal levels of command at an emergency scene where multiple EMS departments are involved.
作为一名消防员y years, Juan Gomez, the co-founder and president of 425, Inc., was quick to respond to real-world feedback: “Firefighters and other emergency personnel told us they needed a way to quickly and easily pinpoint who is in command or identify the safety at an emergency site. The new color selections — in particular the solid green, white and orange colors — were designed to address that need, while still providing the added visibility the wearer needs for enhanced safety and security.”
With the latest LED technology with lights that rate up to 930 lumens each, the Guardian Angel provides visibility from more than two miles away, from above, and from a nearly 360-degree radius around the wearer. And as it turns out, visibility is imperative when it comes to gaining the extra seconds emergency personnel so often need.
For more information on the Guardian Angel, please visitwww.425inc.us.
