Episode 31 | LIT Traffic Vest
Episode 31 | LIT Traffic Vest
Revolutionizing First Responder Safety with the Lit Traffic Vest
Working a roadway is one of the most dangerous things police officers, firefighters, and other first responders routinely do. We wear reflective vests because they're supposed to make us more visible, but anyone who has worked a crash scene at night knows how quickly a person can get lost among flashing emergency lights, headlights, traffic, and everything else happening around them.
On this episode of Two Chiefs, One Mic, I sit down with Don Campbell, creator of the Lit Traffic Vest, to talk about why he believed there had to be a better way.
A Tragedy That Led to an Idea
The idea for the Lit Traffic Vest came following the tragic death of Officer Dale Woods, who was struck by a vehicle on January 9, 2019.
The incident caused Don to take a closer look at something most of us in law enforcement probably don't think much about. A traditional reflective vest depends on outside light to make it visible. Put that same officer in front of flashing red, blue, and white emergency lights, however, and the person wearing the vest can become surprisingly difficult to see.
Don decided that instead of relying solely on reflected light, why not create your own?
Creating the Lit Traffic Vest
That question eventually led to the development of the Lit Traffic Vest.
The vest incorporates green LED lighting designed to distinguish the person wearing it from the emergency lighting already surrounding a police car, fire truck, ambulance, or crash scene. As Don describes during our conversation, the goal is simple: make the first responder impossible to miss.
We talk about how he developed the concept, why he chose green lighting, the testing that went into the product, and the feedback he received from officers who actually wore it in the field.
What I found particularly interesting is that this wasn't someone sitting in a conference room trying to invent the next piece of police equipment. It came from someone who understood the problem, saw the potential consequences, and decided the status quo wasn't good enough.
A Conversation About More Than a Vest
This episode is obviously about the Lit Traffic Vest, but the larger conversation is about first responder safety and innovation.
Law enforcement has always adapted equipment and tactics based on lessons learned in the field. Sometimes those lessons come from successes. Unfortunately, some of our most important lessons come from tragedy.
Don Campbell took one of those tragedies and tried to create something that could prevent another family, police department, or community from experiencing the same thing.
If you're a police chief, sheriff, fire chief, safety officer, trainer, or anyone responsible for first responder equipment and roadway safety, this is a conversation worth hearing.
