First Responder Safety at a Glance Who Are First Responders?

The Foundation of First Responders and Firefighters cites that First Responders are those who respond to emergencies in our communities and protect the public, including firefighters, police officers, EMTs and paramedics, search & rescue teams, emergency management personnel, and others. Every community, from the largest metropolitan area to the smallest rural town, depends on their first responders to save lives and keep the peace during emergencies ranging from a medical call involving one victim, to large-scale disasters that affect entire states for months. And according to the Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI), our nation's first responders are exposed to the grave hazards inherent in emergency responses every day. In the United States, 19,981 law enforcement officers have lost their lives in the line of duty since the inception of the countrys official police force in 1791, and more than 15,658 are injured every year, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Visibility = Increased Safety for First Responders: The benefits of increased visibility for first responders on the job have been welldocumented over the years, and in fact the goal of increased roadway safety for emergency response teams led to the passing of the 2008 federal regulation the "Worker Visibility Rule" mandating that anyone working in the right-of-way of a federal-aid highway must be wearing high visibility (reflective) clothing. Industry data underpinned the federal regulation, with regard to reflective vests: A study completed in 2007 by the Institute for Police Research (IPR), a non-profit organization that focuses on researching law enforcement issues and proposing improvements for the law enforcement community, found that police officers wanted increased visibility (at some times) on the job: According the officers surveyed, a significant majority of the officers in all five agencies expressed a desire for high visibility when conducting roadblocks, directing traffic, assisting motorists (stabilizing scene), and assisting motorists (taking down accident scene). But off the roads, visibility and recognition are still needed: firefighters working together in a smoke-filled environment need better ways to see one another; civilians in a crowded park often cant tell who is or isnt a police officer in moments

of distress; and construction crews working below the surface of the street are just a few of the times when additional official lighting could be critical. In addition, the study conducted by the IPR found that there were times when police officers wanted to maintain a lower degree of anonymity than a reflective vest allowed, and also that between 38% and 50% of the officers at the agencies said they want improved access to their weapons and utility belts. All of which underscores the ability of small personal lighted devices such as the Guardian Angel to compliment other personal safety devices for first responders. ###