October 18, 2017
Red, white and safe all over
Around Town O’Fallon named one of the country’s best small cities to raise a family P.2
Free dental care available to eligible kids. P.3
Golden Years
Skeletal strength improves overall health P.5 St. Charles County Golden Games announces 2018 dates P.5
School St. Charles County Ambulance District’s advanced life support units have a new safety covering that features increased use of reflective materials and contrasting colors.
Photo by Ray Rockwell
St. Charles County Ambulance District debuts reflective wraps By Brett Auten That shock of red, white and blue you have seen in and around St. Charles County is doing exactly what it’s intended to do. With a bold palette and a newly-redesigned, hard-to-miss exterior, the St. Charles County Ambulance District’s advanced life support units have an all-new look that is getting the attention of drivers. Motivated by a recent study on Emergency Vehicle Visibility and Conspicuity by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the new look made its debut in July on two ambulances and is being phased into the district’s fleet over the next few years. The FEMA study suggested that agencies consider increased use of reflective materials and contrasting colors on emergency vehicles. “It is going to be a slow roll getting all of them done,” Kyle Gaines, SCCAD Director of Community Relations said. “With a fleet of over 30, we will get to them all eventually.” The SCCAD ambulances are wrapped nearly fully in a reflective vinyl, with some spots left with a flat finish to provide recommended contrast. The St. Louis-based Cool Touch Graphics won the bid to put on
the vinyl wraps. The result, which pleased SCCAD Chief Taz Meyer, gives heightened visibility, particularly in low-light conditions. “As we began the process of incorporating the FEMA recommendations into our design, we solicited feedback from several groups in our community,” Meyer said. “The project evolved significantly from initial concept to final product and citizen input was invaluable to the process.” Before the wraps, the advanced life support units came from the manufacturer with white paint, then stickered with some reflective striping, lettering and logo. All of this new flash and pizzazz does come at a cost. According to Meyer the cost to fully wrap one of SCCAD’s larger, modular ambulances is approximately $4,900, which is almost double that of the previous stickers. “Though there is an increased cost associated with the full-wrap technology, we felt it was an important safety upgrade to make,” Meyer said. “The change impacts not only our patients and paramedics, but our community at large.” It was an 18-month process to come up with the final design. SCCAD officials conducted several focus groups within the
community, from the citizens advisory board, the chamber of commerce and others. “We pitched the concept to a wide array of people to get their feedback,” Gaines said. “For example, the color red wasn’t included in the original design, but all of the focus groups wanted red and said that it just didn’t look right without it.” According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of EMS, vehicle crashes involving ambulances are not at all uncommon - an estimated 4,500 accidents occur each year in the United States, 34 percent of which result in injuries. “Even near misses can be dangerous,” Gaines added. “But everybody nearby these newly-redesigned ambulances see them coming. You’ll never miss them.” Gaines said that there is no substitute for safe, attentive driving. Maintaining a safe speed and avoiding distractions such as cell phones greatly reduce the risk of motor vehicle accidents not just when emergency vehicles are concerned, but in every situation. “This is a valuable, safer upgrade but there is no substitution for distraction-free driving,” Gaines added.
Serving St. Louis, St. Charles, and Lincoln Counties | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol. 19 No. 42 | 636-379-1775
Fort Zumwalt hires coordinator of diversity and awareness P.8 FZSD will continue to offer free ACT to juniors P.8
Movie ‘Monster Squad,’ ‘It’ show how technology has changed us P.16
Weather FRIDAY Sunny 78/56 SATURDAY Sunny: Rain Late 79/59 SUNDAY Chance of Rain 74/56 FirstWarn Weather
prepared by meteorologist Nick Palisch. For the latest updates visit www.facebook.com/nickswx.