Distracted Driving Stats

April 2013 is the month of Distracted Driving Awareness.

Here are some stats from the Official US Government Site for Distracted Driving...

Texting is by far the most alarming form of distracted driving because it requires visual, manual and cognitive attention.

Over 3,000 people die each year in vehicle crashes resulting from distracted driving.

About 400,000 people are injured each year in vehicle crashes resulting from distracted driving.

40% of all American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger.  (PEW)

Drivers who use hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.  (Monash University)

Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted.  (VTTI)

Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds.  At 55 MPH, that's the equivalent of driving the length of a football field, blind.  (VTTI)

Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%.  (Carnegie Mellon)

Finally, it is not just First Responders - Police Officers, Firefighters and EMTs - who need to convey this message.  We all need to spread the word!

Penske Group & Others Give $8 Million to Detroit

Photo Credit: Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Six weeks ago Roger Penske, the CEO of Penske Group, met with Dave Bing, the mayor of Detroit.  One thing they discussed is public safety in Detroit.

That meeting led to this week's announcement that the Penske Group (among others) will donate $8 million to the city of Detroit for the purchase of 100 new Police and EMS vehicles!!

Mr Penske said he expects this to have an "immediate and lasting impact."  The Police vehicles will be on the streets within 90 days.  The EMS units will be running within 160 days.

Other corporations that joined the Penske Group include Blue Cross Blue Shield, GM, Chrysler, Ford, the Kresge Foundation, Quicken, First Merit Bank and Platinum Equity.

Detroit Fire Commissioner Donald Austin said, "After years of challenges with aging EMS units that rotate in and out of service, a brand new fleet of ambulances will allow us to provide a higher level of emergency services to Detroit's citizens."

We love these kinds of stories!!

Bill Shaw: 69 Years in the Fire Service

Photo Credit: Jeff Murray / Star Gazette

Bill Shaw is 86 years old, and still an 'active' member of the Elmira Heights (NY) Fire Department.  In fact, he has served on the department for 69 years!

He started when he was in high school, at 17 years old.  He was a ladder boy, and was allowed to leave high school to go on calls.  He says it was great because he then returned to school as a "big shot!"

Many things have changed over the years.  Bill remembers the days when there was little training, no gas masks, less than enough boots and a limited supply of turnout gear.  The gear was first-come first-serve.  So the first guys to the station got the boots and other equipment.

But he says firefighters today are much better equipped to respond to fires and other emergencies.  He would certainly know!

In addition, other firefighters and community members say Bill has been a terrific mentor, great friend, valuable resource and wonderful citizen!

Hats off to Mr Bill Shaw's 69 years of fire service!

Google Glass

New products are all around us.

• Most become flops, like this Clairol® Yogurt Shampoo
• Others are interesting, like the K2 Multi-Tool Rescue Shovel
• A few take off to be hits, like this Firefighter's Water Misting Station for Heat Relief

So along comes the latest progression of hands-free living... Google Glass.

Its a pair of glasses.  Its a wearable computer.  Its a head-mounted display.  Its voice-activated.  All in one device that sits on your face.  Here's how it feels.

So why do you care?

Well, some people think the product would be useful in emergency situations...

Perhaps our Police, Fire and EMS could also use the product to document incidents and communicate visually with other First Responders... in Jetson Style!

However, lawmakers in West Virginia are not excited about people driving while wearing the Google Glass.

If you have thoughts, let us know!

Body Armor Plates

Body Armor Plates have become more important given the rise in active shooter incidents.

• For a very limited time, Public Safety Stores is offering 25% off PROTECH® IMPAC™ HT Plates when you buy 10 or more -- click this offer for details.

Both urban and rural police officers are increasingly interested in body armor plates to protect themselves.  In fact, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) says more than 3,000 police officers' lives have been saved by body armor since the 1970s.

Body Armor Plates are rated Type 3 or Type 4 by the NIJ, based on the type of protection they provide.

Body Armor Plates come in various materials...

Ceramic Plates
These have been around for decades because they are effective.  They can be a little heavy.  And the ceramic can be easily damaged.  The ceramic can crack when dropped or tossed in a trunk.  And the ceramic is designed to break when a bullet hits it, so it stops a limited number of bullets.

Polyethylene Plates
These are a newer technology.  And they can cost about 25% more than comparable ceramic.  But they tend to weigh less.  And they are less prone to damage.  However, polyethylene is not available as a Type 4 plate.

For further details, this is a great article from Police Magazine.

And check out this video about Body Armor Plates from Safariland...

Kids Help Mom Save Baby's Life With CPR!

This mom (Susanna Rohm) was in her living room in Marietta, GA when she realized her 12-week old baby was not breathing!

Frantically, she yelled "Call 911!"

Just outside her house were two neighbor boys playing football.  She had previously met one of the boys (10-year old, Ethan Wilson).  But she had never met the other boy (9-year old, Rocky Hurt).

Nonetheless, Ethan and Rocky ran into her house to see if they could help.  Turns out they had learned CPR from posted signs in the cafeteria at Sedalia Park Elementary!

The boys quickly told Susanna to "Use two fingers, push on the chest 5-10 times, tilt back the baby's head, plug the nose, and breathe into the baby's mouth."

They were right.  It worked!  The baby survived, and the young boys became heroes.

The boys later said, "We didn't care if we were on the news, we just cared about saving that baby."

We have previously mentioned the value of CPR.  This is another reminder of why more people should get CPR Training!

Check out these boys speak calmly of their heroics... perhaps they have a bright future as First Responders?!

Pepper Spray for Law Enforcement

Pepper Spray is also known as OC Spray (= Oleoresin Capsicum)

We all know what it does.  But what makes it so effective?  Three things:

Major Capsaicinoids (MC)
This is what makes pepper spray burn the eyes.  MC delivers pain, irritation, inflammation, coughing and temporary blindness.  Level III OC Spray contains the highest MC count of any canister we carry

Scoville Heat Units (SHU)

The SHUs only measure the strength of raw OC and does not measure the strength of the spray projected from your canister

Capsaicinoid Consistency

Sabre Red is the ONLY BRAND with independent 3rd party testing.  This guarantees the same quality and quantity of capsaicinoids in every canister

If you're in law enforcement, you have likely used pepper spray for riot control and crowd control.

At Public Safety Stores, we happen to sell Sabre Red Pepper Spray

And this week we're offering 25% off all Sabre Red Pepper Spray

Use coupon code = SR25

Offer expires 03/25/13

Streamlight Promo

Streamlight is the leading provider of premium flashlights among Public Safety professionals, including Police, Fire and EMS.  So this week we are running a terrific special!

20% off Streamlight products at PublicSafetyStores.com

Use this Coupon Code:  STG20

For firefighters... inspect the Knucklehead - Alkaline

For firefighters... also check out the Survivor LED - Alkaline

For Police... investigate the Stinger LED with AC/DC Chargers

For EMS... look into the ProTac EMS

Offer expires 03/17/13.  While supplies last!

America The Beautiful

America The Beautiful

To our US Military, Police, Fire and EMS who protect and preserve America The Beautiful...

O beautiful for spacious skies

For amber waves of grain

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America!  America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good...

...with brotherhood

From sea...

...to shining sea!

Public Safety Stores thanks you!