Heuberger Illuminates Custer County First Responders!

One great thing about working at Heuberger Motors is that we find ourselves in a unique position to help out in our community. Recently, we had an opportunity fall in our lap that we thought would be good to share.

When first responders arrive at a roadside situation that demands their assistance, they are exposed to elevated risk. In rural areas like Custer County with poor or no night illumination of roadways, that risk grows even more. Drivers approaching the scene of an accident or traffic stop, can have difficulty seeing that first responders are out of their vehicles and working the scene. Naturally, emergency vehicles themselves have bright lighting but once a responder leaves the safety of the vehicle they are at risk for being struck by oncoming traffic.

Heuberger Motors Service Manager, Cole Collins was surfing the net one day a short time ago and came upon Guardian Angel Devices products designed to help first responders be more visible when they exit their vehicles. Since Collins was aware of the need in Custer County for just this type of product he took it upon himself to procure a few for some folks at the police department. Most rural emergency departments barely have the funds to pay staff, let alone purchase extras for their teams.

Word travelled here at Heuberger Motors and we saw an opportunity to step in and do more, so we purchased enough to equip everyone working at Wet Mountain Fire, Custer County Emergency Management Office, Custer County Police and Custer County EMS with lights.

We’re happy to report that all first responders in Custer County now have lights appropriate for their job function. According to Guardian Angel Devices, The lights provide 360 degree illumination with up to 5 miles of visibility. In addition to marking the location of the first responder wearing the devices, they also provide a work light mode which allows the first responder to work hands-free as the lights mount on shoulders or elsewhere on their body.

The Firefighter version of the light adds an upward facing IR marker light so firefighters are visible to aircraft. Safety in firefighting operations is improved because helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft can more easily see where ground personnel are operating but also landing zones for aircraft can be more visibly marked.

Fancy lighting is all well and good but at the end of the day, we all share a responsibility for helping to protect our first responders from injury or death. In Colorado the law actually requires us as drivers to move to the left lane when approaching an emergency vehicle on the side of the road. When a left lane is not available or traffic conditions do not permit a lane change, we are required to reduce and maintain a safe speed and proceed with caution.

Hopefully, the threat of a citation isn’t what is driving us to watch out for our first responders. Hopefully, we all care enough to keep these folks safe!

Here’s a photo showing just how much difference it makes at dusk (compared to the above photo).