Gene and Les,
I partially agree and partially disagree (so what else is new!)
I absolutely agree rovers must obey the law, including getting totally off
the road.. Most of the time Emergency vehilces obey the law as well.
I agree that Safety is very important.
I disagree on making the rover inconspicuous. For mine, that would be
totally impossible.
See pictures on my web site:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~ihi/
I think it is a good idea to make the vehicle easy to spot.
When parked well off the road at night I do put magnetic flashing yellow
lights on the rear.
It is also clearly marked as an emergency communication vehicle.
I am also a Red Cross volunteer for communications as well as an ARES and
RACES member.
My ID card is issued by the Dutchess County Department of Emergency
Services, with the county seal on it.
Gene, I also disagree with you a bit on the question of being hassled by
authorities.
In my 10 years of roving in New England (NY, VT, NH, MA, CT, and ME), I have
only been approached by officers 3 times even though
my rover is very conspicuous. All three were in NY. I have seen some
officers do a "double take" when they spotted me while they were directing
traffic.
But they did not stop me.
I don't think any state is more concerned about terrorism than NY.
Of the 3 times I was approached by officers 2 were because someone called
them to report that there was a "strange vehicle" parked in their area.
In all three cases, the officers were completely understanding.
They looked at both my drivers license and my amateur license and assured me
there was no problem.
Part of this may be a bit unique to NY.
In NY, the amateur radio license plates come under the category of emergency
services.
The state and local (sherrif) officers seem to all know this.
On September 11 2001, when I want down to the Emergency Operations Center to
support communications, the sherrif deputies guarding the entrance
allowed me access just based on the amateur plates.
I carry a reflective vest in my rover, but seldom put it on unless I am
going to be near the road at night.
I have no concern that officers will react to this.
The public does indeed think that we are a bunch of crazise, but not the
law.
Jack
WA2IID
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eugene Zimmerman" <ezimmerm@erols.com>
To: "'Les Rayburn'" <les@highnoonfilm.com>
Cc: "'VHF Contesting'" <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 9:10 PM
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Rover/EMCOMM Vehicle Visibility
> 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
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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