Havis-Shields Equipment Corp. and LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD® is now Havis.

Stay informed at “Merger News” under the Havis News section of our website.  Havis’ two state of the art production facilities will be maintained; the Michigan location will lead the way in docking station design while the Pennsylvania location will focus on industry leading mounting, lighting, and transport products. 

www.havis.com    800.524.9900

Memorial Day is the Third Most Perilous Holiday for Vehicular Traffic. Radarsign Reminds Drivers How-to Keep Roads Safe for Holiday Fun

Alpharetta, GA - May 2009 — Nearly forty million drivers are expected to fill highways and byways this coming holiday weekend according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Memorial Day weekend is the third most perilous holiday for vehicular traffic. Thanksgiving holds the number one spot, with Independence Day at number two. Labor Day and New Year’s Eve round out the top five.

Radarsign (http://www.radarsign.com), the leading manufacturer and retailer of driver feedback signs, today released TEN TIPS TO ROAD SAFETY as vacationers hit the streets.

1. Don’t drive drowsy. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s Report on Drowsy Driving, 100,000 reported crashes, 71,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths every year are attributed to drivers falling asleep at the wheel. Add to that heavy holiday traffic and you have a recipe for disaster. If you are feeling drowsy, get off the road.

2. Wear your seat belt. The DOT reports fifty percent of all vehicular deaths could have been prevented with seat belts.

3. Signal your intentions. Every move you make on the road impacts the decisions and actions of others. By signaling your intention to turn or change lanes, you ensure others are alert to your movements.

4. Do not tailgate. Leave a distance equal to one car’s length for every ten miles per hour. For example, if you are traveling fifty miles an hour, you should fall back a distance equal to five car lengths from the vehicle in front of you.

5. Move away from tailgaters. Many drivers attempt to "teach" a lesson to tailgaters by tapping their brakes telling the other driver to back off. Tailgaters typically exercise poor judgement and endanger themselves and others - especially when challenged. The best thing to do is move out of the way and let the tailgater safely pass you.

6. Avoid standing water. If you must drive through water, do so slowly and avoid sudden use of your brakes, turning too sharply or excessive acceleration. If you do hydroplane (an instance where the tread cannot channel the rainwater from under your tires), do not hit the brakes. Reduce your speed by taking your foot off the accelerator and turning the wheel in the direction you want to travel.

7. Know pedestrian rights. Always be aware of pedestrians at intersections and remember pedestrians have the right of way.

8. Turn on your headlights when visibility is low. The sobering statistic is that while only 25% of the miles we drive are at night, about 50% of the fatalities occur in the darkness–25,000 people each year.

9. Obey the speed limit. A difference of only five miles an hour can be the difference between life and death.

10. Stay alert! Talking on a cell phone, texting, reading maps - even listening to voice-directed GPS systems - can distract you from the road and lead to accidents.

"Every eighteen seconds a U.S. driver is involved in an auto accident and every 11 minutes someone dies in a car crash." said Charlie Robeson, co-Founder of Radarsign. "Road safety is a serious issue; that’s why Radarsigns are affordable enough to be purchased by anyone and flexible enough to be put anywhere speeding is a problem. In the meantime, we hope everyone follows these driver safety tips and has a happy and safe holiday weekend."

About Radarsign

Radarsign is the country’s most affordable, reliable and personal provider of driver feedback signs. Delivering the most energy efficient products on the market and a "built-for-the-job" design, Radarsigns are the most dependable and easy-to-use traffic calming solution. Radarsign products are available in a variety of sizes and mounting options (pole-mounted, mobile stand, trailer-hitch mount, etc.) and provide a proven and affordable solution to calming traffic in neighborhoods, school zones, military and corporate campuses, as well as city streets and highways. For more information visit: www.radarsign.com

Atlanta, GA - May 4, 2009 - N. Peachtree Road is flanked by a middle school and elementary school on one side and neighborhoods on the other. Parents and children regularly dodge speeding cars who do not stop for crossing guards or pedestrian crossings.

City and community officials invited Radarsign, LLC, one of the country’s leading manufacturers of driver feedback signs, to engage in a test to slow drivers.

Video of the event is available: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-253740

The Test:

Week One: Radarsign installed a driver feedback display in “stealth” mode to record traffic patterns without alerting drivers to their speeds.

Week Two: The display was turned on so drivers were alerted to their speeds as they approached the school zone.

The Results:

Radarsign’s StreetSmart Technology detected more than half of all drivers on this road were speeding during week one, totaling nearly 10,000 cars.

By week two, Radarsign cut the the total number of speeders by more than forty percent.

Radarsign also slowed the fastest drivers on the road by nearly ten miles per hour.

A pedestrian struck by a car traveling 40 mph has a 90 percent chance of being killed. On this road, Radarsign cut the number of drivers exceeding 40 mph by fifty percent.

“Accident statistics routinely show a reduction in speed of as little as five miles an hour can be the difference between life and death,” said Charlie Robeson, Director of Sales and Marketing for Radarsign, LLC. “Crashes happen when people arenʼt paying attention. We have so many distractions today that take our attention from the road. Radarsignʼs products alert drivers to their speed - and the posted speed limit. Alert drivers, drive safely. Itʼs that simple.”

The test was coordinated by PEDS, metro Atlanta’s pedestrian advocacy group, with support from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and the City of Dunwoody. Radarsign presented the results to Chesnut Charter’s principal Dr. Richard Reid; City of Dunwoody Councilman, John Heneghan; City of Dunwoody Director of Public Works, Richard Meehan; as well as a number of concerned parents and residents.

“People should be asking for driver feedback signs instead of speed humps,” said Michael Orta, PEDS’ Director of Community Education. “The signs are portable, informative, and effective at slowing drivers. Slower cars means safer walking.”

About Radarsign

Radarsign is the country’s most affordable, reliable and effective provider of driver feedback signs. The company delivers the most energy efficient products on the market and our “built-for-the-job” design, makes our signs the most dependable and easy-to-use traffic calming solution. Radarsign products are available in a variety of sizes and mounting options (pole-mounted, mobile stand, trailer-hitch mount, etc.) and provide a proven and affordable solution to calming traffic in neighborhoods, school zones, military and corporate campuses, as well as city streets and highways.

For more information visit: www.radarsign.com

By fusing ten leading companies, AEP North America brings together the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of services, technologies and expertise. The combined organization has the technical resources and intellectual property required to deliver maximum value to customers. With leading technology, a premier partner network and an organization dedicated to public safety, the company will be able to compete more effectively in new and expanding markets and provide value for its most important stakeholders – its customers, partners, and employees.

Soncell North America offers the industry a single source with a complete range of high quality, enterprise-class solutions and multi-channel execution with its three distinctive business units: AEP North America, Soncell Products and Soncell Services.

Bringing together companies with complementary strategic visions, services, and technologies allowed us to expand our reach across the United States and gain market share. We have become the nation’s largest emergency vehicle up-fitter with coast-to-coast service and product support. We now have a tremendous opportunity for further growth based on our mutual strengths and experience.

"For Bowmer and Kirkland, this strategic transaction provides our collective teams a unique opportunity to enhance customer service, advance product development and most importantly, service the communities in which we do business.“ - Melvin Sheldon, Group Finance Director, Bowmer & Kirkland, Ltd.

The Bowmer & Kirkland Group is one of the largest and most successful privately-owned construction and development groups in the UK with sales in 2008 exceeding $1.7 billion.

Press Release – Download Overview - Download

Law360, New York (February 27, 2009) — Tomar Electronics Inc. is asking a court to stay enforcement of an injunction and $6.75 million damage award in a patent suit filed by Global Traffic Technologies LLC over traffic preemption systems for emergency vehicles, saying that the judgment will send the company into bankruptcy.

In its motion, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, Tomar asked the court to stay enforcement of the judgment pending consideration of various post-trial…

See the full article here: LAW360

Articles leading up to this decision:

Pulled from: BusinessWeek

Global Traffic Technologies Wins Comprehensive Permanent Injunction against Tomar Electronics Inc. in Patent Infringement Suit

01/27/2009

A judge in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis issued a comprehensive permanent injunction on January 22 in favor of Global Traffic Technologies, LLC. Chief Judge Michael J. Davis enjoined defendant Tomar Electronics Inc. from any future manufacture or sale of products found to infringe U.S. Patent No. 5,172,113. The injunction ruling comes three months after a U.S. District Court jury awarded Global Traffic Technologies $6.75 million in damages for past infringement by Tomar Electronics. The original patent infringement claim against Tomar Electronics was filed on April 13, 2005. Global Traffic Technologies won an order of infringement against Tomar Electronics on December 27, 2007, when the court found infringement of multiple patent claims. The monetary damages verdict was awarded on October 22, 2008. Faegre & Benson LLP has represented Global Traffic Technologies in all phases of this suit.

Global Traffic Technologies Awarded Default Judgment in U.S. Patent Suit Against Tomar Electronics

01/30/2008

Global Traffic Technologies has won a default judgment of infringement in its U.S. Patent infringement lawsuit against Tomar Electronics Inc., Gilbert, Ariz. U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Davis issued the ruling in Minneapolis on Dec. 27, 2007. The lawsuit involves GTT’s traffic signal preemption technology, marketed under the name Opticom(TM) Infrared Systems, and Tomar’s Strobecom(R) II System. The impact of the court’s ruling is that Tomar has been found to infringe multiple claims of GTT’s U.S. Patent No. 5,172,113. Additional proceedings will be scheduled to address the issue of remedy, including damages and an injunction.

For Immediate Release - Havis-Shields 

Havis-Shields and LEDCO-Chargeguard Announce Merger to Provide Emergency Vehicle,     Transportation And Mobile Workspace Customers with Expanded Line of Industry Leading Products

WARMINSTER, Pa. — March 3, 2009 — Havis-Shields, the leading manufacturer of  mission critical products designed for public safety fleet and fire vehicles,  today announced a merger with LEDCO-Chargeguard, Plymouth, Mich.,  a leading manufacturer of mobile computing solutions and vehicle power management systems.  The merger of these two trusted industry leaders will define the new mobile workspace. This partnership truly delivers on maximizing worker productivity.

            The combination of Havis-Shields and LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD creates a broad portfolio that better serves the mobile workspace by offering a complete line of products.  This broad product portfolio includes emergency lighting, consoles, docking stations and security transport systems.  For the first time ever, customers will be able to utilize a single provider for fleet and IT solutions requirements, reducing total cost of ownership and improving service and support. 

            As part of the merger, current Havis-Shields president, Joe Bernert, will become the chairman and chief executive officer of the newly formed company.  Michael Bernert, currently the vice president of sales and marketing for Havis-Shields, will become the president of the merged companies, and current LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD president, Mike Zani, will become the new company’s chief operating officer. 

            Havis-Shields’ Joe Bernert said the merger is a win-win for both companies and will provide its respective customers with an expanded line of the most comfortable and safest solutions in the industry.   “We think the merger of Havis-Shields and LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD will give us the opportunity to increase the level of service and the quality of products we provide to our customers”.

            Michael Bernert further explained that “this merger will give our Fleet and IT sales channel partners access to both LEDCO-CHARGEGUARDS’s industry leading docking products and Havis-Shields innovative mounting solutions.” 

            LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD’s Mike Zani agreed, and said the merger will bring two industry leaders together to provide customers with a "one-stop shop" for all their mobile computing, mission critical fleet and vehicle power management solutions.  "Havis-Shields is one of the most trusted names in public safety and mission critical equipment.  That reputation,  coupled with the perfect  fit of LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD’s respective product lines gives us the ability to quickly respond to customer needs with the best and most complete mobile workplace equipment in the market, all from one source," Zani said.

            The company headquarters will remain in Warminster, Pa., and the current LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD manufacturing and marketing offices will remain in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth, Mich.  Joe Bernert said that each company will continue with a "business as usual" philosophy, and that current Havis-Shields and LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD customers will continue to work with their current company representatives for products and services.

About Havis-Shields

Havis-Shields Equipment Corporation, headquartered in Warminster, PA is the leading manufacturer of emergency vehicle consoles, computer mounts, prisoner transport systems, K-9 transports and emergency scene lighting.    Havis-Shields products support mission critical public safety and fire applications with its focus on fleet support and quick-to-market product design, development and fabrication. Havis-Shields maintains a state of the art manufacturing facility utilizing state of the art CNC equipment and a fully automated powder coating paint system.  Havis-Shields is uniquely qualified to provide vehicle installation services for public safety vehicles in its PA facilities.  This capability allows Havis-Shields to remain on the leading edge of automotive design changes resulting in the most efficient and thoroughly tested solutions on the market.  And with over 100 dedicated employees serving the public safety and fire marketplace, Havis-Shields is large enough to handle the most demanding jobs.  To contact Havis-Shields and learn more about these world-class products and services, please visit www.havis.com or call 1-800-524-9900. 

About LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD
A progressive private company with national presence, known for its innovative mobile computing solutions¾ LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD designs and delivers cutting edge products and services for its two core product lines. The LEDCO product line focuses on maximizing mobile worker productivity by providing mounting and docking equipment with the most comfortable designs, the industry’s safest solutions, tested to the highest quality standards. The CHARGEGUARDÒ product line offers the industry’s original battery saver and other power management devices that safeguard against dead batteries, high-voltage problems, stranded people and lost productivity. The people of LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD are committed to helping you solve your mobile computing needs with a passion for becoming the number one manufacturer of rugged peripherals and mounts. For more information regarding LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD, its products or people, please visit www.LEDCO-CHARGEGUARD.com or call 1.877.875.5524.

from Gizmodo by Jack Loftus

Even if you can’t afford a luxury supercar like the Audi R8, take solace in the fact that its cutting edge all-LED design will trickle down to your jalopy. Eventually.

Of course we all know efficient LEDs will eventually find their way into every automobile, but the Audi R8 V12 takes the prize for being the first commercial vehicle to sport LEDs in everything. Headlights, running lights, turn signals—you name it there’s an LED shining bright inside.

And not just shining, but "smartly" shining and adapting to the driver’s needs.

Audi developers are convinced that future generations of headlights will react to weather conditions, a vehicle’s speed, the distance between vehicles, and potentially dangerous objects. “We’re striving to create intelligent headlights and taillights which think and anticipate in the interest of enhancing a driver’s safety and comfort. For example, there are already high-beam headlights in pre-series development which will allow drivers to navigate roads at night without temporarily blinding oncoming drivers. This is made possible by a variable distribution of light: An electronic system continuously calculates the distance to any approaching vehicles to ensure that the road ahead is ideally illuminated at all times – without irritating oncoming drivers," said Dr. Wolfgang Huhn, Head of the Light and Visibility Department at Audi.

Sheesh. You know you’re a luxury car manufacturer when you have a Light and Visibility Department. [Gizmag and Jalopnik]

Reposted from Gizmodo - make sure to check out their site for other interesting tech stories.

You’re in the car and you’ve got the radio cranked up insanely loud. Chances are, you’re not going to hear that ambulance siren wailing behind you.

Soon, even if you can’t hear it, you’ll be able to feel when an emergency vehicle is coming.

Oklahoma’s largest ambulance company will become the first ambulance service in the nation to outfit its entire fleet with new Howler sirens, designed to emit low-frequency tones that penetrate objects within 200 feet - such as cars - to alert drivers.

The Emergency Medical Services Authority has equipped one ambulance with the new siren and plans to have them installed on all 77 units in Oklahoma within six months.

Officials say the sirens are ideal for cutting through a sea of traffic, and give emergency responders another tool to let drivers know an ambulance is heading their way.

So far this year, EMSA vehicles have been involved in 16 intersection accidents, typically caused by an unyielding driver. Fifteen of those times, the ambulances were on a call, said EMSA spokeswoman Tina Wells.

"The most frequent thing motorists say to us is they didn’t see the ambulance coming," Wells said at a Tuesday news conference, where the new technology was demonstrated.

During the demonstration, two ambulances were parked near each other. A plastic stepladder with three glasses of liquid on top was placed in between the vehicles.

The ambulance without the Howler sounded its siren and produced its familiar wail. Then, the Howler, which produced booms that sounded like a 1980s video game played at an earsplitting level. The liquids in the three glasses rippled. Wells jokingly said the new sirens sounded like "a vacuum cleaner on steroids."

"It’s going to make going through intersections much safer," said Tulsa Police Officer Mike Avey, who has worked traffic accidents. "People are on their cell phones, people have $1,000 sound systems. You’re going to feel it."

The new sirens cost less than $400 each, meaning the entire EMSA fleet can be outfitted for less than $50,000, Wells said.

"A moderate accident is going to cost $15,000 in body damage alone," Wells said. "We see the potential for recouping this almost immediately."

EMSResponder.com

Carbon Motors™ to Unveil World’s First Purpose-Built Law Enforcement Vehicle on “PURE JUSTICE TOUR” of US Cities

New Homeland Security Company Mulls Alternative Site Locations - Meets with Economic Development Leaders. Former IACP President to Marshal in New Era of Cutting Edge Homeland Security Technology to Law Enforcement Leaders

October 09, 2008

CHICAGO, IL — Carbon Motors Corporation announced today it will unveil the Carbon ‘E7’, the world’s first purpose-built law enforcement vehicle, during the “2008 Pure Justice Tour” of nine U.S. cities starting in Chicago, Illinois and including San Diego, California for the 115th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference and Exposition where over 15,000 senior law enforcement professionals will gather from all around the world.

The Carbon ‘E7’ – the temporary program code used until the law enforcement community selects a vehicle name – represents the next generation of law enforcement technology as the first vehicle in history designed and engineered from the ground up and bumper-to-bumper specifically for law enforcement operations.

Carbon Motors announced today the nine cities the ‘E7’ will visit during the 2008 Pure Justice Tour beginning Tuesday October 14, 2008 in Chicago, IL. The tour will include stops in:

Chicago, IL Tuesday, October 14 Indianapolis, IN Monday, October 20 Columbus, OH Thursday, October 23 San Diego, CA Saturday, November 8 – 12 San Jose, CA Tuesday, November 18 San Francisco, CA Saturday, November 22 – 29 Greenville, SC Thursday, December 4 – 9 Jacksonville, FL Wednesday, December 10 – 14 Tampa, FL Monday, December 15 – 19

The vehicle was well received at recent VIP sneak preview events for Tier 1 suppliers held in Detroit, MI. Further tour dates and event details will be made available at www.carbonmotors.com and is also being promoted on YouTube.com and BLUtube through the video trailer “Ours is Real”. The company will invite law enforcement and the communities they serve to view the ‘E7’ up close at each stop of the tour – and in some cases the respective state’s senior economic development officials. Carbon Motors is weighing its options for the site location of the Company where it intends to create 10,000 new direct and indirect American jobs and have a greater than $3 billion positive economic impact on the selected region over a period of ten years.

Carbon’s ‘E7’ was designed by law enforcement, for law enforcement. To date, over 1,700 law enforcement professionals, representing all 50 US States and each functional discipline of law enforcement, have volunteered their time to serve on the Carbon Council, which provides direct and unfiltered interaction with the Carbon Motors team. As a result, the vehicle will come fully equipped with a comprehensive suite of purpose-built, state-of-the-art performance and safety features utilizing the latest advancements in defense and law enforcement technology.

“The 2008 Pure Justice Tour marks this revolutionary vehicle’s debut to a first responder community that has waited far too long for a vehicle designed specifically for the high pressure and increasingly demanding work environment of law enforcement in a post-9/11 world,” said William Santana Li, chairman and chief executive officer, Carbon Motors Corporation. “The military has long used purpose-built vehicles to accomplish their unique missions. Fire engines were specifically designed to provide firefighters with water, aerial ladders or other equipment to assist them in rescue work. And even postal workers have purpose-built trucks for delivering mail. Law enforcement, by comparison, has had to settle for retail cars designed for ordinary passenger use with haphazardly and dangerously installed law enforcement equipment. The women and men who protect our communities deserve better. Carbon’s ‘E7’ will rectify this injustice.”

The vehicle will display a robust collection of world-class technological and design enhancements, including an ergonomically correct cockpit inspired by jet fighters and helicopters, a high powered clean-diesel engine capable of running on biodiesel (that will provide 40 percent improvement in fuel efficiency and will meet or exceed the driving performance of current vehicles), integrated external and internal surveillance capabilities, radar, LoJack, an automatic license plate recognition system, radiation and biological threat detectors and 360 degree, high conspicuity built-in LED emergency lighting. In addition, the ‘E7’ debuts Carbon’s proprietary On-board Rapid Command Architecture™ (ORCA™) with a large touch-screen main display and a separate touch screen keyboard providing world-class data communication and human-machine interface. The ‘E7’ will serve as an integrated homeland security platform enhancing security capabilities for the nation’s 800,000+ law enforcement first responders, while substantially lowering their current operating costs and lessening the burden on taxpayers nationwide.

Joining the Carbon Motors executives at the ‘E7’ introduction to the IACP Conference in San Diego will be past IACP president and former Clinton cabinet member Drug Czar, Dr. Lee P. Brown. Dr. Brown serves on the Carbon Motors Advisory Board, alongside Governor Thomas J. Ridge, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Congressman Lee H. Hamilton, former vice-chair of the 9/11 commission.

“We ask so much more of our law enforcement officers today than we ever did in the past,” said Dr. Brown. “They patrol our neighborhoods and our highways, arrive first on the scene of emergencies, live in their cars during natural disasters, gather and share vital intelligence. Their vehicles are not simply modes of transportation, but serve literally as a traveling office, as a first mode of protection, as a communications center and as a transport for dangerous criminals. This one piece of critical equipment is the command center for every officer on the street, and they deserve a vehicle that will not only help them do their jobs better but also protect them while they are doing it.”

About Carbon Motors Corporation

Carbon Motors Corporation is a homeland security company focused on a highly specific mission: developing, manufacturing, distributing, and servicing the world’s first purpose-built law enforcement patrol vehicle. Learn more at www.carbonmotors.com.

___________________________________________________________________

FORD ESCAPE HYBRID DELIVERS TOTAL PACKAGE FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY OCEAN LIFEGUARDS

Ford to provide a fleet of 45 customized Escape Hybrids to the Los Angeles County Ocean Lifeguards.

• The full-hybrid SUVs will be used for rescue patrol along 72 miles of Southern California coastline.
• The front-wheel-drive Escape Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient SUV on the planet, returning 34 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway.
• Intelligent four-wheel-drive models are also available, with fuel economy of 29 mpg city and 27 highway.   

LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2008 - Ford Motor Company is teaming up with the Los Angeles County Lifeguards, a division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, to help save lives while protecting the environment.  Today, Ford presented the squad with the first 10 of a fleet of 45 eco-friendly Escape Hybrids with Intelligent four-wheel-drive, specially equipped for use on rescue patrol along 72 miles of Southern California coastline.

___________________________________________________________

"We are the largest lifeguard organization in the world, and we have always blazed the trail for the profession," said Mike Frazer, chief, Lifeguard Services, Los Angeles County Fire Department.  "We wanted to be the first public safety agency in the country to go green."

"This continues the Escape Hybrid’s impressive string of endorsements," said Hal Dewsnap, California regional sales manager for Ford Motor Company.  "In addition to being clean and fuel-efficient, the Escape Hybrid is highly functional and durable, proven in hundreds of thousands of miles in taxi service in New York and San Francisco.  Now, we are adding lifeguard duty to the list."

There is no better vehicle for that assignment than the world’s most fuel-efficient SUV.  The front-wheel-drive Ford Escape Hybrid returns 34 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway.  Intelligent four-wheel-drive models, like the ones used by the lifeguards, return 29 mpg city and 27 highway.

"The Escape Hybrid is one of the cleanest vehicles available today," added Freeman Thomas, Ford Design Director whose studio developed the design of the Lifeguard vehicles.  "It meets California’s strict Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) standard.  To put it in a California summer context, it releases fewer smog-forming emissions into the atmosphere during a three-hour drive (about 180 miles) than grilling one hamburger in your back yard."

Frazer says he knew that the Escape Hybrid was an ideal choice from an environmental standpoint, but he admits to having some initial reservations about whether an SUV would function as well on the beach as the compact pickup trucks the lifeguards were used to driving.

"The switch from a pickup to an SUV was something new to us, but when Ford brought the Escape Hybrid down to the beach, we were amazed at how well it performed," he said, adding that he was particularly surprised by the vehicle’s ability to navigate through the sand without getting stuck.

With the Escape Hybrid, Frazer says he was also able to make more precise turns, enjoy extra headroom (he’s 6′5") and gain greater visibility, which is a huge safety plus on the beach. 

"We need to be able to see as much as possible because there’s so much activity on the beach, especially in the summertime," he said.  "When we’re responding to a rescue, we want to get there quickly and safely."

Shortly after that initial field test, a team of designers from Ford’s Irvine studio visited the beach to do a little "guerrilla research," says Ford designer Jeff Nield.

"These people save lives, so this was not just an exercise in styling," said Nield.  "We wanted to design features for them that are functional and could potentially save them valuable time in an emergency situation."

Careful inspection of the previous trucks the lifeguards were using revealed various makeshift storage areas for critical equipment.

"What happened in the past is that different lifeguards would set vehicles up differently, so if you worked at one beach and then got called in a crisis to another location, you would have to search to find the emergency tools you needed because the storage area was not standardized," he said. 

The Ford designers decided to remove 60 percent of the rear seat on the driver’s side and replace it with a rescue equipment storage unit - an aluminum box with specially designated spaces for important emergency equipment, such as defibrillators, trauma boxes and oxygen tanks.

The remaining 40 percent of the seat was left intact in case the lifeguards had to transport someone, such as a lost child. 

According to Ford Design Project Manager, Greg Hutting, the lifeguards’ multiple radios also presented the design team with a challenge.

"In the previous vehicle, they had three or four different radios pushed wherever they had room," he said.  "We pulled out the center console and replaced it with a radio rack that keeps all of their equipment lined up and organized."

Ford designers also outfitted the Escape Hybrids with a custom-fit roof rack for the lifeguards’ paddle board and spine board, and easy-to-clean rubber floor mats and cargo liners.

When it came to the exterior, Nield says it was important to make the vehicle look "fresh but not trendy."  The vehicles were painted a vibrant yellow - iconic for lifeguards - and then detailed with authoritative graphics and finished off with dark wheels.

"We really pushed to make the vehicle look as rugged as possible," said Nield. 

Frazer says he couldn’t be more pleased. "The vehicles look amazing, they perform great and they are hybrids, so they are good for the environment," he said.  "It’s a win, win, win situation for us.

It’s also a win for Ford Motor Company.

"The lifeguards are going to be pushing these vehicles to the limit, and they need the best vehicle to get the job done," added Nield.  "They had choices, and they chose the Ford Escape Hybrid."