Another Accelerator Got Stuck

Last August we heard the story of Lauri Ulvestad, whose accelerator got stuck in her 2011 Kia Sorrento.  Her car wound up taking her 59 miles in 35 minutes, averaging over 100 MPH.

Now we hear that a similar event occurred in December.  In this case a 16-year old boy - Elez Lushaj - dialed 911 to report the gas pedal being stuck in his 2011 Hyundai Elantra.  Alisha Bumelis was the first dispatcher to handle his call.

His car began speeding to over 120 MPH.  His journey covered more than 90 miles of Texas highway in less than one hour.  The ride finally ended when his car crashed and flipped over multiple times.

Elez will reportedly recover and be ok.  But he did sustain multiple broken bones.

All told, the driver crossed through 4 counties and a dozen law enforcement jurisdictions.  That meant he was repeatedly transferred to different 911 dispatchers.

The case is now in the hands of the family's attorney.

This is the dramatic video capture by the dash cam of a police officer...

Habitat for Heroes - Update1

Last year we told you about a local community wanting to build a village of 87 affordable homes, exclusively for US Military veterans!

US Military members are among the greatest heroes in our country.  Some are active.  Some are retired.  Some have been injured.  And some have paid the ultimate price.

Freedom certainly is not free.

So we were very excited when we read the SCV Habitat For Heroes was recently approved by the local City Planning Commission.  Next step is final approval from the City Council.

We hope more cities will pursue affordable housing projects like this, and support our brave US Military veterans.  We understand the City of LA has a similar projectunderway.

Spread the word ... this is a great thing!

The Sequester

What is "The Sequester"?

A group of automatic budget cuts, projected to reduce federal spending by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years... starting this Friday (03/01/13).

The cuts will impact federal spending on Defense, Education, the FBI, the DOJ, Customs and Border Patrol, Correctional officers and more.  The cuts will impact state spending also.

Why might you care?

National defense and local public safety members will feel the impact.  This means the US Military and first responders such as Police, Fire and EMS will experience budget reductions.

Grant programs like SAFER, AFG and USFA may be slashed, impacting fire departments.  Grant programs like Byrnes JAG, COPS, RSAT, NICS, JJDPA and SCAAP may be slashed, impacting law enforcement.

How will this impact you?

The concern is that the safety of our nation and that of our local communities may be compromised.

Jump over to our Facebook Page and let us know how "The Sequester" will impact your local department and your community!

Firehouse World - Shelby Gloves

15% off Shelby Gloves on PSS

This week we visited the Firehouse Expo in San Diego.

We were surprised to find it chilly and windy.  But a couple guys from Rhode Island mentioned the 12 inches in snow they got the day before they came out.  So we were grateful to San Diego for whatever it wanted to give us!

At the expo we spent time with the President of Shelby Gloves.  He reminded us of the reasons why Shelby is still the top-selling Fire Glove.

Durability.  Shelby prides itself in making a highly durable glove.  Other gloves might come at a lower price, and therefore serve a certain part of the market.  But the quality of construction in Shelby Gloves means they need to be replaced less often.

Quality.  Shelby Gloves use a specialized barrier system with waterproof, breathable Gore™ technology.  Every liner system is 100% dunk tested.  And their FDP gloves use the industry's first ever cut and sewn e-PTFE barrier system.  So firefighters can be assured of great performance.

Made in the USA.  Shelby Gloves can't be more American.  They are made right here in the USA.  Shelby is proud of its American manufacturing, just like we are proud of our American heroes - Police, Fire, EMS and Military.

So this weekend we are running a special 15% off Shelby Gloves when you buy them from Public Safety Stores!

Just use this Coupon Code ... shelby15

George Washington - 1796 Farewell Address

George Washington
1st US President (1789-1797)

It is not yet officially George Washington's birthday.  That is February 22nd.  And if he were alive today he would turn 281 this year.  In other words, he was born in 1732.

Before he was the 1st US President, George Washington served the United States of America in extraordinary ways.

Not only was he a Founding Father, he was Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783).  And he led the convention which drafted the US Constitution in 1787.

His following was so strong that when he was chosen President, he was unanimously elected by the 69 electors of 1788.  He served two terms as President.  Then reluctantly declined to run a third time.

The result of his retirement from the Presidency was the delivery of his 1796 Farewell Address, which was printed in newspapers across the country.

Then in 1862, in the heart of the Civil War, the US Senate began an annual tradition of reading his 1796 Farewell Address.  In fact, that tradition continues today.  Every year a member of the Senate reads the entire Address on February 22nd.

George Washington provided two decades of highly memorable service to the citizens of the United States of America.  And this legacy of courageous service continues today through the millions of Public Safety personnel - Military, Police, Fire and EMS - who offer incredible protection and security to the people of this country.

Here's to the memory of our 1st US President, George Washington.

We Like You Too

Public Safety Stores

We are grateful to the 5,000+ of you that 'Like' us!!  We like you too!!

Yes, we live in a Facebook age of remote relationships.  But hey, here we are getting to know each other!

We promise to keep doing 3 things for you...

produce great CONTENT
Pictures are worth a thousand words, so we let images capture moments and evoke emotions.  We save words for news and information.

build a great COMMUNITY
A community has people who share something in common.  In this case - Public Safety!   That means ... Police ... Fire ... EMS ... Military ... Dispatch ... and more.

offer great eCOMMERCE
Your orders on Public Safety Stores have been awesome!  Thanks a ton.

We are honored and thankful to count you as Friends!!  Let's grow this together!

Got a Public Safety Facebook Page?

Does your Public Safety department have an official Facebook page?  If so, let us know!

Email it to us ... cs@publicsafetystores.com

We want to 'Like' it from our Public Safety Stores page.  We are looking for local agencies like...

• Police Departments
• Sheriff Associations
• Highway Patrol
• Explorer Academies
• Campus PD
• K-9 Units
• Military Divisions
• Fire Departments
• Ambulance Companies
• 911 and Dispatch Offices
• Correctional Authorities
• Search and Rescue
• Etc

You can also let us know directly on our PSS Facebook Page ... or this particular Page Post

Chicago 911 Dispatch Changes

Blog Post by Public Safety Stores
Photo by Ditthavong/AP

The 911 dispatch strategy in the city of Chicago has changed, starting last Sunday (02/03/13).

Some calls, regarding non-criminal complaints and crimes where no one is in immediate danger, may now be routed to desk officers who fill out a police report over the phone.

This change will allow the Chicago Police Department to allocate more of its resources to fight violent crimes.   In the city of Chicago there were 506 murders last year, the highest since 2008.  And January 2013 was the deadliest January since 2002.  The trade-off is that some crimes, like car theft or simple assault, may not receive the in-person response of a Police Officer.

Former Newark, NJ Police Captain John Shane says Chicago is not the first city to adopt this 911 dispatch strategy.  He says a portion of the 911 calls in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, Houston and Newark are handled this way.  And Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn says his department also responds to some non-emergency 911 calls by telephone only.

The Chicago PD has made it clear that it will only handle 911 calls by phone when the victim is safe the alleged offender is not on scene and not expected to return.  Nonetheless, some residents are not convinced the strategy is best.

What do you think?  Let us know on the Facebook page of Public Safety Stores.

Alain "Spider-man" Robert in Need of Safety Equipment!

Photo by Pool/Reuters

He is known as Spider-man (literally the "human spider") because he spends his life climbing giant skyscrapers around the world... most often without safety equipment!

His name is Alain Robert, he's from France.

Yesterday he scaled the 413 ft. Habana Libre Hotel in Havana, Cuba... shown above... without safety equipment!

But this was not his first urban climb sans-safety equipment.  He's been at it for 30+ years.

Here is a short list of high-rise buildings he has climbed which are more than 1,000 feet tall...

• Empire State Building in NYC ... 1994
• 1,250 feet high
• Eiffel Tower in Paris, France ... 1996 and 1997
• 1,027 feet high
• Sydney Tower in Sydney, Australia ... 1997
• 1,047 feet high
• Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia ... 1997 and 2007
• arrested on the 60th floor - both times
• Willis Tower in Chicago ... 1999
• 1,453 feet high
• Taipei 101 in Taiwan ... 2004
• 1,667 feet high
• Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lampur ... 2009 (third time)
• 1,483 feet high - made it to the top
• Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, China ... 2007
• 1,143 feet high
• Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE ... 2011
• 2,717 feet high - tallest in the world ... he partially used a harness on this one

Some were legal climbs.  Some were not.  But few (if any) of these climbs were safe!

How could we help this "Spider-man"?  First, recommend he stop climbing buildings!

Then, have him look at some Safety Equipment :-)

• Fall Protection
• Safety Harness
• Rescue Helmet
• Safety Glasses
• Rope Gloves
• Climbing Rope and Equipment
• Carabiners

If all else fails ... at least have him carry a parachute!

This Week - Fire and Police Winter Olympics in California

We love talking about athletic events!  Especially when they feature Public Safety members!!

This week the California Fire and Police Winter Olympics are going on at Mammoth Mountain!

Last year we saw Police, Fire, EMS and Military members in the 2012 London Olympics ... where Kayla Harrison and Vincent Hancock each won Gold Medals!

Then we saw injured US Veterans in the 2012 London Paralympics ... where Brad Snyder brought home two Gold Medals!

This year the 2013 World Police and Fire Games will be in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

And the 2013 US Police and Fire Championships will be in beautiful San Diego.

Hope you have a chance to enjoy competing in one of these events this year!!

American Hero - Chris Kyle

Today we honor an American Hero - Chris Kyle.  He tragically died this past weekend.

Chris Kyle was born and raised in Texas.  Following his days in school he became a professional bronco rodeo rider.  But that career ended when he seriously injured his arm.

Thereafter Chris pursued the US Marine Corps.  But in the process of doing so he met a US Navy recruiter, which led him to learned about the Navy SEALs.  He went on to BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL school) and joined the US Navy in 1999.

Chris served on SEAL Team 3 and saw four tours of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom (the second Iraq war).  He is knows to have become the most lethal sniper in American military history with 160 confirmed kills, out of 255 claimed kills.

He left the US Navy in 2009.  He went on to write a biography, American Sniper, about his time in the US Navy.  He then ran a company which provides private security and security training.  In addition, he worked with a non-profit organization that helps Veterans with a variety of disabilities.

As Chris and a friend were helping a former Marine in his recovery from PTSD, that former Marine allegedly turned a gun on them.  As a result, Chris and his friend died on February 2, 2013.

We have honored many US Military Members.  The history of our US Military is filled with American Heroes.  Chris Kyle was, is and always will be an American Hero.

Today we remember, honor and thank Chris Kyle, and every US Military Member, for your brave service.

History of the Flashlight

Flashlights on PSS

Thank goodness for flashlights ... and especially for 100+ years of product development!

Did you know ... the flashlight started as a portable lighting device that literally flashed because it could not produce a steady stream of light?!

Here's the brief history...

In 1879 Thomas Edison invented and patented the first carbon filament electric lightbulb.

In 1898 a 'dry' cell battery was invented.

Around that time Conrad Hubert combined a brass reflector and a light bulb with a 'dry' cell battery - to create the first modern flashlight device.

He made those early flashlights (by hand) and passed them out to New York City Policemen, who gave the product great reviews!  This reminds us of the New Yorker fire helmets being first used in NYC!

Here we are 100 years later, talking about:

• Incandescent lighting vs LED
• Lumens and Candela
• Beam distance
• Battery life
• Headlamps
• Weapon mounts
• Streamlight vs Pelican vs Surefire vs UK vs Others

We happen to primarily sell Streamlight at Public Safety Stores.

But regardless of which flashlight you carry, I'm sure you are thankful for its usefulness!