We are once again faced with the blank slate of a New Year. There are those tasks we feel we must do, those that we would like to do, and those tasks which we end up doing. A great deal of our highway safety work usually falls into the second category.

While you and I might consider our emphasis on safety on the highway to be a primary aspect of our lives, there are others for whom our cause never seems to make the radar screen. These are the people who never train their people, and who see fit to leave them without the proper highway safety equipment.

I was coming home from lunch the other day when I saw a couple of really interesting things. There was a traffic safety control point located within a mile of our fire station. The gas company is doing a lot of work preparing for the new developments in our area. They require highway safety protection to fend off the normal quotient of idiot drivers.

The cones were there, as was the police cruiser with its emergency lights flashing brightly. There was also a patrol officer standing by. He was turned out in blue coveralls with a blue vest that had a small yellow line running across the back. On that stripe was the word POLICE emblazoned in blue letters. Let me tell you that the officer did not stand out in the midst of his traffic control duties.

Our photo shoot in Pennsylvania last summer covered this very occurrence. Our findings were that the blue just did not attract the attention of passing motorists. As bad as this is in the afternoon, it is far worse at night. Far too many of us put our faith in the Lord when it comes to preparing for highway safety.

The other occurrence I witnessed on my way back from lunch was quite a bit different. I passed two waste removal vehicles on the way from Farmingdale to Adelphia. In each case the drivers and back-step personnel were clothed in bright lime-yellow vests. They appeared to me to be of the appropriate type and style for a 50 mile-per-hour highway area.

These individuals were prepared to do their duty on the highways of my area. Their firms are to be commended for their concern with the safety of their operational personnel.

I am pleased to report that there are vests on each one of the units in the Adelphia Fire Company fleet. Our people have begun to accept their use as a necessary part of operating on the highways and by-ways of our fire district. We protect two major state highways, a number of very active county roads, as well as a great many small, local roads. We have faced the problem and acquired the necessary protective equipment.

In 2005 the folks at the Emergency Response Safety Institute (ERSI) will be working to improve the delivery of our training programs. We will be delivering a new, improved curriculum, and working to build a cadre of instructors to deliver our programs.

The success of our Ten Cones of Safety highway safety program will serve as the basis for future programs to take our efforts to the next level. We are nearing the point at which our "best practices" photos and videos will be available here on Respondersafety.com. It was never our intention to rush these to you. They are being reviewed to insure that they really do portray the best practices for you.

We know what we want to do. We are well aware of those things we must do. We can only hope that the coming year will allow us to improve our efforts so that more people will benefit from our efforts. Please accept our best wishes for a safe and Happy New Year.