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EMS House of DeFrance http://www.emshouse.com Peripheral Med Courtesy the EMS House of DeFrance http://www.defrance.org
You'd never know Ralph Pickens is 84 years old. His youthful outlook on life belies his age. Pickens is an active fellow from the Rock Springs community whose interests are many and varied. Fortunately for all of us, one of his interests is traffic safety. Pickens has invented a device called the Early Emergency Detection System that will let drivers know when an emergency vehicle is approaching. The concept is similar to that of a radar detector. It is activated simply by plugging it into the vehicle's cigarette lighter. Emergency vehicles equipped with the proper transmitter could send a signal to your car's EEDS. Your unit would then notify you with a flashing light, a recorded message, and a buzzer that the emergency vehicles are approaching. Even at a speed of 60 mph, you'd have a half minute's warning to get out of the way. There are about 20,000 accidents nationwide every year involving emergency vehicles that are going to or coming from an emergency. The accidents often occur at intersections. For firefighters, those accidents are the second leading cause of death. EMS and police personnel are also in the high-risk category. The problem is that it's hard for drivers to hear them coming, and often hard to decide what to do when you look up to suddenly see the flashing lights in your mirror. Kingsport Police Chief Mark Addington explains, "Loud stereos, insulation and air conditioning, rolled up windows, and especially cell phones are distracting drivers from paying attention to what is approaching them from the rear, from the side, or the road ahead." With the Early Emergency Detection System, drivers wouldn't miss the message. Even a school bus driver with a load of noisy children or people who are hard of hearing would have the opportunity to get out of the way safely. The EEDS could also be implemented by railroads, so that there would be fewer accidents at railroad crossings. State Rep. Steve Godsey has already presented the EEDS to the Tennessee Department of Transportation for its consideration. Pickens has applied for a patent, and he's excited about the prospect of developing and implementing his system. "Emergency personnel put their lives on the line each day to protect the public," he says. "With the EEDS, the public can be a help rather than a hindrance." Kudos to Ralph Pickens for his endeavor to reduce the devastating effects of emergency vehicle crashes, and for his persistence in the development of his invention. He's helping save the lives of those who help save us. The
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