Road Saftey and Black Box

RH3075

RH3075

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Does anyone out there have any experience with the Road Saftey Systems black box system. It plays aduible tones as feedback for the driver inside the bus, as well as recording everything we do. Specifically, I am curious about its impact on resposne times. My agency, an innercity hospital ems provider , has a goal of 8 mintue response times. In 2004 our average was 8min 45 sec. Last year it was 8 min 8 sec. This year is is 6min 6 sec, but the black boxes went active in august. They say that they will be used to discipline drivers with lots of "tones" (i.e., bad drivers). I think they are going to cause everybody to slow way down and response times to go up, but supervisors say no. Any ideas out there about this?

RH
 
The service I work for uses a similar system (It's probably the same system). It has three buttons; one by the ignition, one in the back, and one outside on the bumper. Once logged in it monitors your speed, acceleration, braking, and how you take the turns. It gives a knocking/tapping tone when you're pushing the limits, and then a loud beeping sound when you don't slow down or get your act together. The service provides monthly printouts, and at x number of points you can be terminated from the company.

We cover a 36 square mile area with 3 ambulances. Our average ALS response time is under three and a half minutes. It is my understanding that the box has not slowed down our response time.

I think the black box has a lot to offer. It makes sure the driver/passengers buckle up, it makes sure there is a spotter when someone backs up, and it gives the driver a tone when they're throwing me around in the back. It really takes a lot to set the thing off, and I've found it to be more than fair.

The black boxes were implemented in about 75+ vehicles in our service, and it is my understanding that they haven't slowed response times. I can assure you that if they did, management wouldn't have them. In private EMS response times are everything (from the public's point of view).

I hope that helps.
 
My part-time employer (the largest national ambulance service) uses the Road Safety System. Every provider is issued a key-fob that logs the individual driver into the vehicle. The system tracks speed, g-forces, Emergency light use, driver's seat-belt use and reverses. There is a button in the patient compartment and one on the rear driver's side to push to show there was a spotter present, because policy is that a spotter must be present at all times when in reverse.

In our service, the sensitivity on the lateral g-force sensor is too little... it starts clicking when you go around a turn at regular speed, espicially in our large type III's. Aside from that, I like it. Not everyone does, but I do.
 
We have the black box where i work. I happen to like it but not because the company can use it for disipline but because if I ever get into an accident to can back up what I did right.

It will show wether or not the emegency lights and / or siren were on, Speed, Acceleration or decleration, forces on cornering.

If you drive with in the parameters of company policy and state laws it should not impact response times at all. It could also support the driver if involved in accident or other driving offense.
 
fyrdog - Exactly. If you are breaking the law and driving recklessly to improve response time, you run the risk of not making it there at all.

Last year in New York City, the UFA (Firefighters' union) made a BIG push for all apparatus to slow down and stop at red lights and stop signs. The union took a lot of heat because some felt it was politically motivated to delay response times and prevent possible fire station closings, but the union made the claim that it was JUST a move to save their members.

FDNY's union pushed this after several apparatus crashes, including some serious injuries to members.

Anyway - long story short. If you are blowing through red lights and stop signs to make the response times look good... you are increasing the chance of you not arriving AT ALL. Here in PA, and nationwide by my company's standards, an ambulance must come to a full stop at every red light and stop sign.
 
Thanks

I happen to agree with all of you. I like the box for the most part because I am a pretty safe driver I think. A lot of our citizens see an abulance as a lottery ticket and drive right for us. I would like to think that some day the box is going to protect me in court. We have the back up button and the key fobs as well. I think our system is a little too sensitive on lateral g-force's as well, it goes off when driving around normal corners. I am mostly just wondering what impact, if any, it will have on our response times. Of course, I do not know that the two minutes we have shaved off in the past two years is really of any benefit to our pt's. I have seem some studies that suggest it does nto have a huge impact. thanks again for the input though.
 
I have experience with this garbage. I hate them. We are just one step closer to 1984. Somewhere in europe, they have cameras that will talk back to you if your doing something seen as anti-social, I just heard about this on the news. I think we should treat people like adults until they prove otherwise. These little "black boxes" are like saying, "we don't trust you to drive safely." This garbage makes me sick. As technology increases, where will it stop? Next thing you know, they will be putting cameras in the ambulances...wait a min, that's already being done. Maybe next they will come out with a little chip to implant into our brains to think for us so we can all be good little worker bees. Then there won't be any trouble. No more ambulances crashes and we will all live happily ever after.......just shoot me now and be done with it.
 
there already tagging newborn babies, like a dog tag. so you can find them if they get lost:ph34r:
 
Guardian said:
These little "black boxes" are like saying, "we don't trust you to drive safely." This garbage makes me sick. As technology increases, where will it stop? Next thing you know, they will be putting cameras in the ambulances...wait a min, that's already being done./quote]

Well, I think we have ALL had at least one partner that took "not driving safely" to a whole new level...

My Division hasn't terminated anyone based on the "black box" records, at least not yet... but we know they CAN. So we are careful. Many of us have become like "Pavlov's Dogs" and our driving habits have changed to not set the alarms off at all... we don't speed, we are careful going around corners, etc.

EMTalex said:
there already tagging newborn babies, like a dog tag. so you can find them if they get lost:ph34r:
Click to expand...
Yeah... Hospitals have started to use WanderGuard systems for infants to prevent children from being removed from the nursery... Yeah... big hospital security concern, and VERY bad PR if someone walks off with YOUR baby.
Click to expand...
 
Jon said:
My part-time employer (the largest national ambulance service) uses the Road Safety System. Every provider is issued a key-fob that logs the individual driver into the vehicle. The system tracks speed, g-forces, Emergency light use, driver's seat-belt use and reverses. There is a button in the patient compartment and one on the rear driver's side to push to show there was a spotter present, because policy is that a spotter must be present at all times when in reverse.

In our service, the sensitivity on the lateral g-force sensor is too little... it starts clicking when you go around a turn at regular speed, espicially in our large type III's. Aside from that, I like it. Not everyone does, but I do.
Click to expand...

When the spotter gets out, who is watching the pt? Do you have more than 2 on the truck?
 
FF894 said:
When the spotter gets out, who is watching the pt? Do you have more than 2 on the truck?
Click to expand...
When there is a pt in back then the spotter looks out the back window and pushes a little button in the ceiling to signal he's spotting.
 
FF894 said:
When the spotter gets out, who is watching the pt? Do you have more than 2 on the truck?
Click to expand...
When there isn't a patient, a crewmember gets out and spots. If there is a stable patient in the back, they use the spotter button in the patient compartment. If the patient is FUBAR, then you don't worry about hitting any buttons.
 
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