Hi Les
This is wonderful information for emergency vehicles. But not so good for
rovers.
Rovers need to obey the law - emergency vehicles sometimes do not. For
instance if your rover operates essentially only when it is stopped, or even
if you are a run and shoot rover who occasionally stops, it is ABSOLUTELY
incumbent on you to get your rover off the road as far as you can and in any
case far enough that NO part of the vehicle or the antennas you use is on or
over a travelled road. Then there is no reason to worry about being hit
unless some drunk runs off the road and hits you. And then no amount of
markings will help.
Secondly you should make your rover as inconspicuous as possible. That can't
be the case for a run and shoot rover but a rover that stops and sets up can
often have the antennas collapsed to the point that from a distance it looks
like a few bags of oats for the family horse or some fertilzer for the
garden. I guarantee you will be hassled by the authorities who know nothing
of amateur radio or roving. If you are in a car covered with neon stipes and
you are wearing a yellow safety vest, what are you going to do when you are
approached by the local sheriff? If you tell him that you are an emergency
vehicle he is first going to ask what emergency and then ask for
identification - as an emergency vehicle - and second he can't be faulted if
he thinks you are not playing with a full deck of cards. In the latter he is
correct as many rovers including me will tell you. I don't know about
Alabama and the Florida panhandle but I'll bet law enforcement officers are
very wary of folks they think are crazy. He may be looking for the target on
your back. :-)
Brian the Rover ND3F/N3IQ is probably the expert on dealing with authorities
and how to avoid a bad outcome from such encounters. I'd suspect ND2F/5
knows more than anyone else about authorities for a run and shoot rover -
how to dress, how to pull completely off road, what to say, etc. But making
the rover vehicle any more conspicuous than it already is and wearing
clothing that is - to be nice - odd is probably a good way to get on the
wrong side of the authorities.
73 Gene W3ZZ
-----Original Message-----
From: Les Rayburn [ <mailto:les@highnoonfilm.com>
mailto:les@highnoonfilm.com]
Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 3:39 PM
To: Sean, KX9X Kutzko; K1CE@cfl.rr.com; VHF Contesting Reflector; DEC Region
2 WX4AL
Subject: [VHFcontesting] Rover/EMCOMM Vehicle Visibility
Amateurs who operate "Rover" in VHF/UHF Contests, and those who operate
mobile response vehicles for emergency communications deployments should pay
particular attention to their safety while on the road. For some great
suggestions on how to improve your chances of not being involved in an
accident, you may want to read a new study just released by the United
States Fire Administration (USFA), in partnership with the International
Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), and supported by the US
Department of Justice.
Emergency Vehicle Visibility and Conspicuity Study (PDF, 2.2 Mb).
According to the study, numerous law enforcement officers, firefighters, and
emergency medical services (EMS) workers have been injured or killed along
roadways throughout the US over the past decade. While I'm not aware of any
serious injuries to amateur radio operators, most of us who operate mobile
can share stories of many "close calls". The study discusses the importance
of addressing emergency vehicle characteristics and human factors to reduce
injuries and deaths.
The key findings of the study were:
. Retro reflective materials hold greater promise for enhancing the
conspicuity of emergency vehicles.
. Being visible and recognizable are important facets of emergency
vehicle conspicuity.
. Contrasting colors can assist drivers with locating a hazard amid
the visual clutter of the roadway.
. Fluorescent colors offer higher visibility during daylight hours.
The following are the key recommendations of the study:
. Outline vehicle boundaries with "contour markings," using retro
reflective material.
. Concentrate retro reflective material on lower half of emergency
vehicles.
. Use fluorescent retro reflective materials in applications where a
high degree of day/night time visibility is desired.
. Use retro reflective material on law enforcement vehicles on rear
to maintain stealth when facing traffic or patrolling.
. Apply distinctive logos or emblems with retro reflective material
to improve emergency vehicle visibility and recognition.
To that, I'd add another suggestion. When operating rover, I always wear a
bright yellow "safety vest" sold at Lowes, Home Depot and similar stores. It
includes the highly reflective 3M materials that seem to almost "glow" under
headlights. I wear this vest even when parked...so that if I suddenly exit
the vehicle during the action of a contest, I don't have to remember to put
it on.
I consider myself a very safe operator/driver, but recognize that I get
caught up in the furor of operating and might make a mistake. I've also got
a set of yellow flashing "caution lights" that I use on the truck whenever
I'm storm spotting, or driving in poor weather conditions.
Thanks to the EMR-ISAC for summarizing the report, most of the content of
this e-mail is theirs. The study is well worth reading, and might save your
life.
73,
Les Rayburn, N1LF
EM63nf
121 Mayfair Park
Maylene, AL 35114
_______________________________________________
VHFcontesting mailing list
VHFcontesting@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
|