The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), supported by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and in partnership with the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association's (CVVFA) Emergency Responder Safety Institute, released a guide highlighting the findings of a study of emergency vehicle markings, lighting, and design for increased visibility.>

The guide focuses on vehicles other than fire apparatus and is an excellent resource for marking command vehicles, traffic and other support units. Ron Moore ERSI Chief Instructor prepared the guide. The document may be viewed or downloaded from the Resource Section of the ResponderSafety Web site either in Power Point or PDF format.

"The USFA staff is pleased to complete this study and release this guide in support of our goal to reduce the number of emergency vehicle crashes and injuries to all emergency first responders," said U.S. Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell. "We are grateful for DOJ's continued support of this effort and for the work of the CVVFA to the benefit of the fire service, EMS and law enforcement personnel at work on our nation's roadways."

This guide provides information on best practices in the application of various arrangements of emergency warning devices, creative use of retro reflective decal markings, and other innovative designs; all with the intent of increasing the visibility of emergency vehicles to motorists approaching them. It focuses on emergency vehicles not covered by existing standards on this area.

"Enhancing the operational safety of law enforcement officers and firefighters is a major priority of NIJ," said John H. Laub, Director of the National Institute of Justice. "We place a premium on partnerships like this one with the USFA because they multiply our ability to prevent accidents and save lives."

"CVVFA is pleased to release the results of this project that will support the decision makers in local fire, police, and EMS departments on ways to enhance the emergency vehicle and roadway operations safety of their organizations," said CVVFA President Steven L. Haines. "We are grateful for the support of both USFA and NIJ in this effort to enhance the safety of emergency responders."

Further information on USFA's emergency vehicle and roadway safety research initiatives may be found on the USFA website.