Whacker Blog Update

Wow! We just realized that our most recent post was in March. Time seems to fly. Well, we are back it. Our hopes are to post at least 2-3 articles per month. This should allow us to keep you informed on what is happening at Whacker as well as keep you up to date on random public safety news and videos. We have some new products which will be released in Q4 of 2009.

We've also added a Twitter page which you can join for updates at Whacker Technologies and Emergency City.

Sirens without Lights; Has this ever happened to you?

The other day, I was driving down a busy road in Brooklyn when I heard a siren. I looked in my rear view mirror...no lights. Side view mirrors...no lights. Hmmm, wheres the siren coming from. And the sounds is getting closer but still no lights! A few seconds later, I see an ambulance coming up behind me (without any lights on) and decide that this is the ambulance trying to get through traffic.

This was at about 6:30am on a typical day here in New York.

Has this ever happened to you? You're really tired after that long shift that's just about to end but you get dispatched to your last job for the night. I did it a few times back when I worked as a medic. I think we all do it. Some maybe not as often as others.

Unfortunately, this poses a great risk to us and the public. But theres such an easy fix to this. Whenever the sirens are activated, the lights should automatically turn on for a fixed amount of time (and the lights should stay on after the siren is turned off!). This would at least allow the emergency vehicle to get through an intersection with lights activated. Or maybe just activate the primary lightbar.

Either way, theres no need for any additional accidents when there's an easy fix.

Let's make a difference!

Grandma Kessler Passes Away - July, 6th 2008

Today, my Grandma Kessler passed away. She was a great person and a fighter. We will miss her very much!

Red Light Cameras

Living in New York City, I can tell you that there are new red light cameras going up everyday. For all those that don't know what a red light camera is, they're the cameras that will take a picture of your license plate if you run a red light.

While much can be said that no one should be driving through a red light, I find that there are times when I end up on the middle of an intersection as the light turns red. Usually caused by traffic (gotta love the big NYC!). The real issue I have is when I see the light turning yellow and I'm making the decision of if its safe to stop or should I proceed through the intersection, I find myself thinking "Is is one of those intersections with a red light camera?". This just makes no sense, because if the safest thing to do is proceed through the intersection, I should do it and not worry about a ticket.

So do these things really make the world safer? Or is it just a great way to increase revenue?

Check out this article, as it may change the way you think about these cameras:
Red Light Camera Article

Roll With It; Can YOU handle it? - EMS Campaign

My previous supervisor (from good old Medevac Ambulance, Ellwood City, PA) sent me a link to this website: rollwithit.com Its been a while since I watched the video, but you all have got to see this video! The video/website is a marketing campaign to get the younger crowd interested in EMS in PA. I'm not sure how well their campaign went, but I thought this video was awesome.

Its a shame that they haven't added more stories to the website or job opportunities. Such a website needs to be updated on a regular basis.

Having come from an EMS background, I find that retention is the biggest problem the agencies are facing. Why be an EMT/Paramedic when you can get a job as a firefighter or police officer and work towards a pension (yes, there are some EMS jobs offering pensions). Or, if you enjoy the medical field, why not become a registered nurse and make a better salary (plus there are many nursing fields to go into). So how do we fix this problem? Not sure, but I think the retention issue is a bigger issue then recruitment.

Intersection Lighting - Often the Step-Child

Have you ever noticed that most stealth-type response vehicles (no roof top lightbar) seem to be lacking intersection lighting? There seems to be to much emphasis put on the front and rear of the vehicle. Now don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer of proper lighting in the front and back of the vehicle but we need to remember side warning! From what I remember, most accidents that occur while driving with lights and sirens occur at intersections. This makes me think that side warning should be just as important, if not more important than front and rear warning.

I'm sure theres another factor that goes into the "intersection accidents." I see many emergency vehicles that dont come to a complete stop before entering an intersection at a red light (or even stop sign). Not only is this a danger to the public safety personnel but also to everyone in the vicinity of that intersection. Between safer driving and better lighting we should be able to cut back on many intersection accidents.

The Whacker Technologies Blog is Up and Running!

We finally decided it was time for a blog. Our hopes are to make a more fun side to our website (and more of an unofficial area) where we will be posting police, fire, EMS or plain old public safety jokes, videos, pics and more. We will also be posting links to customers who have reviewed our products.

Honestly, this is the first time I've ever blogged so hopefully I'll be keeping your attention and make this a place where you'll want to visit (rather than us boring you). If your on our site, you obviously have some interest in LED lightbars, police lights, LED dash lights or something of that nature. I know that many of you arent in public safety, but I'm sure you'll have some fun enjoying our blog.

The one other thing we would like to us our blog for is product design. When we have a new product (whether it be a new LED lightbar, a new LED technology or just a new design), we would like to have our customers input. We feel that if we build our products around our customers, we will both benefit in the long run.

Please note that our comment section is going to be monitored but you can post a comment without having an account. You can use this comment section to let us know if you have a good joke, video or picture that you would like us to post.

Keep Safe,
Herschel and the Whacker Team