Flag Day 2010 falls 233 years after the Continental Congress approved the first American flag in 1777. Flag Day also falls midway through National Safety Month. As always, we’re concerned with keeping families and communities safe, both ours and yours. And in our line of business (“Mobile video solutions for enhanced safety”), we’re especially intent on keeping our roadways safe. We encourage you to do the same, whether driving in a professional capacity or striking out on the road for summer vacation.

One of our Houston colleagues shares our concern for personal, family, and public safety and has published a helpful summertime safety blog post on the topic: “5 Tips to Keep You Safe On That Next Road Trip.” So before you pack up the water goggles and coolers, check out these tips on Google maps and coolants. Schipul’s Jennifer Ulmer has included how-to links on everything from planning alternate routes to checking radiator fluid. Practical stuff, here: plan ahead, prepare for emergencies. (Don’t forget the duct tape. And if it’s patriotic duct tape, all the better!)

Happy trails to you, wherever the summer takes you. Have a safe drive!

A native Spanish speaker, Elsa has been a valued sidekick to Sammy Almaguer, our U.S. and International Account Executive. Together, Sammy and Elsa have served Safety Vision long and well as we’ve broadened our international footprint and brought lifesaving mobile surveillance solutions to foreign shores.

In the accompanying photo, Elsa poses with the governor of Veracruz at the XXVII Convencion Internacional de Mineria (International Mining Convention) in Mexico, October 2009. The governor stopped by our booth at the show and is shown wielding our SV-1500–a personal mobile DVR, still camera, and flashlight in one. At the show, Elsa and Sammy also demo’d our full suite of collision avoidance and onboard surveillance recording solutions. Our heavy duty camera, monitor, and mobile DVR systems are equipped to handle the environmental and operating rigors of mining and other heavy equipment industries, around the world.

Visit our Flickr photostream to see Elsa’s farewell “happy hour” at Houston HQ. We’ll miss that smiling face, but she’s only a phone call away! Elsa’s customers can still reach her through Safety Vision’s main line (713.896.6600) or toll-free number (800.880.8855). Meanwhile, we wish Elsa and our extended Safety Vision family & friends salud, suerte y fortuna.

• Pitching in, pitching out: We’re keen on green and do what we can to promote the paperless office. To that end, we had our first site-wide “shred day” early in the month. Employees were encouraged to collect unnecessary paperwork and other outdated materials (account executive Jeff Taylor displays dated labeling, above), which we then helped feed into the document destruction machinery aboard two Cintas haulage trucks. We had fun pitching in on this all hands effort, as is clear from the pictures!
• Trying to help in trying times: We reached out to targeted industry segments with specials aimed at stretching their dollar. Collision avoidance users were presented with a wish list from which they could pick the three cost-saving items that would most benefit their budgets. And schools considering the SV-4CSD onboard surveillance video system were offered a complimentary camera, after the purchase of the first. (Interested? Offers end 12.31.09!)
• Gathering of the clans: Our annual get-together gets us all on the same page. December is traditionally the month when all sales staff and installation technicians convene to discuss progress during the previous year and plans for the coming year. It makes for a full-house here at HQ, but it’s always good to put our heads together and share lessons learned.
• Giving back to the community: Here’s where the elf part kicks in! Safety Vision again participated in the Elves & More corporate bike-build, a charitable cause that benefits at-risk children. Safe transportation and children’s well-being are two of our drivers, so this is a fitting cause for us to embrace.
• Sharing our vision: We speak out as mobile video surveillance subject matter experts. As in years past, Mass Transit magazine approached us for our take on where the industry is headed. In the December 2009/January 2010 issue (pg 55), CTO Chris Fritz chimes in with his look-ahead on trends and technologies to come.
• Celebrating the season and the standouts: Safety Vision hosts a meal and toasts a winner. Every year since 2002, the company has recognized one employee as Visionary of the Year, selected from a pool of nominees proposed by their coworkers as going above and beyond. At yesterday’s holiday luncheon, Bruce announced Technical Support Manager Aaron Alvarado as VOY 2009. Aaron will be treated to a 3-day trip to beautiful Telluride, CO!  We all appreciate your hard work, Aaron: You make Safety Vision look good! Congrats…
• Saying adieu (but not goodbye): Vicki Hammett, our first human resources director, has retired and is being feted at a surprise farewell lunch, today. Vicki lent many years of service to the company and tendered much care to its employees, and she will be sorely missed. Wishing you all the best, Vicki. It’s hard to imagine a Safety Vision without you; but you set a gold standard for future comers … and we know you’ll be back to visit. Right?!

Whew, and that’s a wrap: I told you it was a busy December! Maybe now we can sit back, relax, and enjoy the holidays with family and friends. We hope you’re able to do the same, and we wish you a safe, happy, and prosperous 2010.

Frankly, we were alarmed at the news story regarding two airline pilots who overshot their destination by 150 miles and were out of communication for 1.5 hours, allegedly (and against company policy) because they were diddling with laptops rather than deploying landing gear. So, what’s to keep pilot and co-pilot from whipping out their iPhones for a wicked round of dueling apps when they should be checking other instruments? Scary thought, for air travelers.

Transportation secretary Ray LaHood likewise takes a dim view of distracted navigators: “Any kind of distraction, whether it’s trains, planes or automobiles is a distraction and we should figure out ways to get these cell phones, the texting, … and the use of laptops out of the hands of people who are supposed to be delivering the public … somewhere safely.”

That’s not a lot for the public to expect. Don’t we deserve to be ferried about safely? Shouldn’t we rest assured that we’re in good hands and under watchful eyes? I’m not being facetious when I say, “Too bad the cockpit wasn’t equipped with a SafeDrive MiniDVR.” This new windshield-mounted mobile DVR is helping our clients in other mobile industries monitor and record what’s going on outside the windshield and inside the vehicle cabin.

Scary but true: Careless or distracted drivers are putting personnel, property, and the public in peril. But that’s where we come in. Our onboard cameras and mobile DVRs may deter unsafe driving en route; and when such behaviors are detected, fleet owners can work with their drivers to modify bad habits. Meanwhile, we encourage all drivers–professional and private–to “Pocket it ’til you park it!”

Drive safe; live safe!

The fallen heroes of 9/11 are survived by heroes still standing. But rarely are they standing still! Every day, every night, members of the public safety and security community face urgency and peril, racing against the clock to the scene of an accident or other catastrophe. We are honored to support the many arms of this valiant community–those police officers, fire personnel, and EMT teams who put their own lives on the line to serve and protect, to rescue and save.

Our mobile video solutions are contributing to their lifesaving crisis response efforts, both on the road and at the destination. With our collision avoidance cameras along for the ride, drivers of emergency vehicles are less likely to be involved in moving or backing accidents. And our mobile video surveillance systems are recording evidentiary data at the scene while facilitating crisis communication with such features as live streaming video and the wireless transfer of electronic data.

The Los Angeles City Airport Fire Department is one Safety Vision first responder client who is using both types of mobile video solutions on their Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) fleet. These are the personnel and vehicles that rush to the scene of crashes, fires, and other urgent incidents: rough duty that requires tough equipment. Each of the fleet’s vehicles is equipped with a Safety Vision backup camera and monitor system to prevent accidents at the scene and a forward-facing camera for fire-scene recording. We were on site at the airport recently and have these photos to share.

As another September passes, we salute the brave women and men who commit their lives to serving and saving others. It’s not only fools who rush in. Sometimes, it’s heroes.

Along with SV-620 rear-view cameras to prevent backing accidents–one of the most common applications of our mobile safety products–Integrity Trailers is also using onboard cameras inside the trailer to ensure the safety and comfort of up to four horses, en route. Via trailer-to-truck cabling, live video from Safety Vision cameras streams to an in-cab SV-LCD-70 display monitor, assuring drivers that all’s well with their equine passengers and alerting them to backing hazards or other concerns.

Our collision avoidance and onboard surveillance camera systems provide an added safety cushion for horse people who want to protect their investments, both financial and emotional. You may have heard of horses helping people? We’re people helping horses! See photos of our unique mobile safety collaboration with Integrity on Flickr.

So, it’s no surprise that they turned to Safety Vision when equipping their own fleet to enhance driver safety. Proforma is using our rear- and side-view camera systems as well as our thermal imaging technology. We snapped a few photos of their road-ready HUMMER on a recent visit to Safety Vision HQ in Houston: Take a look at the slideshow! You also may view these photos as a gallery of still shots on Flickr, where you can click on each individual image for specifics on the Safety Vision collision avoidance equipment featured in that photo.

(And the S.W.A.T. you see emblazoned on the HUMMER? While this vehicle equipped with visibility-enhancing safety equipment is indeed a  “Special Weapon And Tactic,” here it stands for the Proforma-coined “Safe Work Awareness Team”!)

“We heard about Safety Vision through our company’s safety department,” says Link, who drives up to 140,000 miles each year in 48 states. According to Don, his company paid for the rear-vision camera; he opted to add the side-view camera at his own expense to enhance visibility while on the roads and to deter crimes such as theft, vandalism, and graffiti. “Although I’ve not had any driving accidents recently, I could’ve benefited from collision avoidance cameras in my driving career. And the rear-vision camera is a preventive measure that will help me back up safely.”

We look forward to seeing Don again in September, as he plans to add more Safety Vision mobile video cameras for an upcoming truck. On that note, not only will more deliveries get to their destinations right on the dot, but the drivers will be SAFE and sound as well.

-Katrina Abelita, Marketing/PR As sistant