Study of Emergency Vehicle Warning Lighting Systems

The Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency/U.S. Fire Administration (DHS/FEMA/USFA) intends to negotiate and award a purchase order on a sole source basis (IAW FAR 6.302) with the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association (CVVFA), located at 460 Polly Drumman Hill Road, Newark, DE 19711. Study of Emergency Vehicle Warning Lighting Systems - The objective of this project is for the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association (CVVFA) Emergency Responder Safety Institute to expand and continue the study on the effect and how to effectively mitigate the disorientation of motorists caused by the day and nighttime use of emergency warning lights to include issues of lighting color and emergency vehicle visibility/conspicuity and further expand this study to examine issues of concern to the fire service, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), law enforcement, and Department of Transportation highway emergency responders. This project will enable emergency responders to respond to incidents more effectively and safer. The project will also enhance the safety of the motoring public. The findings of this study will be incorporated into educational and outreach efforts, including the ResponderSafety.com web site as well as into national level consensus standards used by the emergency responders, including the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and others involved with the enhancement and/or development of relevant/related standards. As a capstone, the final deliverable will develop formal training and educational programs as well as formal input to standards setting agencies and organizations based on the findings of the initial and second phase of this study. In support of this phase of this study CVVFA will utilize their proprietary ResponderSafety.com web site during the period of performance of this project. The ResponderSafety.com web site supports roadway operational safety for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other responders as well as supporting the education, training, outreach to, and development of best practices for roadway scene operations. Numerous firefighters, law enforcement officers, and other emergency responders have died on-duty from crashes and being struck while operating on the roadway. The development of effective emergency warning lighting technology may reduce this loss of life. It may also enhance the safety of the general public who are approached by emergency vehicles as well as those that drive past emergency scenes on the roadway. Year after year approximately 25 percent of firefighters killed in the line of duty are responding or returning from incidents, with the majority of the fatalities from vehicle crashes. This represents the second leading cause of firefighter fatalities (second only to Stress/Overexertion). The United States Fire Administration (USFA), the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and others have done research in this area. There is a need, however, for additional work researching the development of prototypes and real time experimentation examining issues of lighting flash rates, color, contrast, placement on the vehicle etc. to prevent emergency responders from being involved in crashes and being struck while operating on the roadway. The contractor shall expand the study on the disorientation of motorists caused by the day and nighttime use of emergency warning lights. The effects on normal, distracted, impaired, and drowsy drivers (the "moth effect") shall be examined. This study would focus on new lighting technology, including light-emitting diodes (LED). Research to examine: • Technology to enhance the effectiveness of emergency warning lighting on emergency vehicles such as fire apparatus, ambulances, law enforcement vehicles, DOT response units, etc. to enhance the safety of firefighters, law enforcement officers, and other responders while operating on the roadway to prevent them being struck by as well as while responding in these vehicles to prevent crashes. • Research on the development of emergency lighting prototypes. • Research on emergency lighting rates, color, contrast, placement on the vehicle etc. • Interface with existing emergency vehicles as well as those that could potentially be developed in the near future. A concentration of study efforts will include issues of lighting color and emergency vehicle visibility/conspicuity. This issue of color shall include the "traditional" red and white color lighting used by the fire service and EMS, but shall also include the use of other colors such as yellow typically used for construction and tow vehicle warning, blue, etc. This study shall include live operational demonstrations in similar format and layout as past studies in this area supported by the U.S. Fire Administration. The issue of lighting and vehicle visibility/conspicuity shall be studied to include how warning lights work with retroreflective striping, chevrons, high-visibility paint colors, etc. Based on the information developed from the study detailed in Task 3.2 of this Statement of Work, the contractor shall examine what specific technologies and use patterns of emergency vehicle lighting can be used to mitigate the disorientation of motorists caused by the day and nighttime use of emergency warning lights. Technological (for example: lighting design, flash rate, etc.) as well as operational mitigation (for example: reducing the number of lighting used at incidents, etc.) shall be researched as part of this effort. Research findings from this project would reviewed and support the development of the following national-level consensus standards including the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) SAE J-2498 Minimum Performance of the Warning Light System Used on Emergency Vehicles; SAE J-595 Directional Flashing Optical Warning Devices for Authorized Emergency, Maintenance, and Service Vehicles, and SAE J-845 Optical Warning Devices for Authorized Emergency, Maintenance, and Service Vehicles. These research findings would also be forwarded to Federal and national-level consensus standards organizations such as the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and others in the development of relevant/related standards. The contractor must be able to meet the core responsibilities required for this requirement as follows: • Promote the interests of state and local volunteer fire and EMS organizations, law enforcement, and other emergency responders at the national level in roadway operations safety; • Gather applicable information from and disseminate information to fire and EMS departments and organizations, law enforcement, and other emergency responders related to roadway operations safety; • Serve as the voice and advocate for the fire and EMS organizations (including the fire police that are part of the volunteer fire service in certain areas of the U.S.), law enforcement, and other emergency responders in the national arena and provide tools, resources, and programs in roadway operations safety; • Develop outreach on roadway operations safety, including emergency vehicle lighting which has an impact on fire and EMS departments (including the volunteer fire service fire police), law enforcement, and other emergency responders; and distribute that information. Requirements: • Experience with the development, management, and administration of the ResponderSafety.com roadway operations web site; • Understanding of Emergency Vehicle and Responder Visibility through extensive experience; • Existing data on roadway operations hazards and emergency responder struck by fatalities, injuries, and incidents; • Existing mechanism to deliver announcements, information, and training in roadway operations safety for fire and EMS departments and organizations (including the volunteer fire service fire police), law enforcement, and other emergency responders in the United States; • Manage a database of roadways struck by emergency responder fatalities and injuries, as well as case studies. • Experience creating roadway operations safety and other related outreach deliverables for both the USFA and the fire service in general. The Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association (CVVFA) Emergency Responder Safety Institute, a non-profit organization, is uniquely qualified to perform this study due to on roadway safety and other operations for all emergency responders including meeting the specialized needs of both the fire service and law enforcement. They have been doing so for over a decade through the ResponderSafety.com web site supporting roadway operational safety for the emergency services community. There is no other long-term national-level web-based conduit of comprehensive information dissemination and training in this area other that the ResponderSafety.com that is proprietary to the CVVFA. This website is well known and utilized among the emergency services community to enhance roadway operations safety and effectiveness at the state and local level. No other organization has that level of acumen in this area needed to support this project. The CVVFA will not allow any other organization such unrestricted access to the ResponderSafety.com website as well as other roadway safety resources of their Emergency Responder Safety Institute. CVVFA is the only organization capable of performing the tasks to satisfy this requirement. This notice is NOT a request for quotation (RFQ) for competitive quotes/proposals and no solicitation document exists for this requirement. However, parties interested in responding to this notice shall submit technical data, sufficient to determine capability in providing the same services. All capability statements received by the closing of this notification of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Based on the above information, the only known organization which can provide technically acceptable services is the CVVFA. Submit capability statements (using PDF, MS Word, Excel attachments) to Kim Logue, Contracting Officer at [email protected]. Statements are due by 11:00 a.m. EST on July 3, 2019. Primary Point of Contact: Kim Logue Contracting Office Address: DHS/FEMA/NETC Building D 16825 South Seton Avenue Emmitsburg, MD 21727 Place of Performance: Contractor's location Classification Code: B537 NAICS Code: 813920