Emergency Services Day
Perhaps you, like me, have felt the overwhelming relief as a team of paramedics bustle onto a scene of distress, put down their bags and get down to work. Or perhaps you know someone who does that incredible work.
Here in the UK, there are over 42,000 paramedics registered with the Health and Professions Council – Register summary, supporting the NHS respond to over 23,000 medical emergency calls every day – Ambulance sector.
I’ve often wondered how they cope with driving under pressure after dark, assessing and treating an unknown injury in the gloom of a garden or stairwell after dark or under flashing lights on the hard shoulder of a motorway. Managing their own emotions while navigating tense social dynamics in a fast-moving and potentially personally threatening situation adds another layer again.
So what’s that got to do with the lights?
A recent paper asked a panel of expert paramedics what they found toughest about working in low-light conditions and backed that up with a comprehensive literature review.
Driving fast under pressure, seeing house numbers and being able to assess wounds, particularly skin colouration, were their top concerns, acutely aware that these increased response time, risk of accidents and mistakes that can be fatal. Reading text on display equipment was another big problem, increasing risk of inappropriate triage and missing critical changes in vital signs over time. Paramedic practice in low light conditions: a scoping review. Being unable to see – and passing drivers finding it hard to see them, compounded by the glare of passing headlamps increasese their risk of being injured themselves. – Flashing Emergency Lights: Influence of Intensity, Flash Rate and Synchronization on Driver Visibility, Comfort and Confidence, Effects of Emergency Vehicle Warning Lighting System Characteristics on Driver Perception and Behavior.
The paper points out that, in the UK at least, there is no standard requirement or recommended specification for in-vehicle or personal lighting – the team leader who came to take care of mum following a fall in the garden pulled a USB-charging builder’s torch from his bag and balanced it on the step. A quick search for emergency response lighting generates a bewildering array – with no mention of colour rendering or glare in any of the products I found. There are no special occupational health recommendations for these roles either, despite the vital importance of visual comfort and acuity under pressure.
The team make some simple recommendations: to make sure paramedics are given regular eye tests and appropriate support and that display-based equipment is specified to cope with wide variations in light levels. They also call for an interdisciplinary collaboration between emergency response professionals and the occupational health and lighting sectors to create a practical and affordable standard that could save time and money – and potentially save lives.
In the meantime, slowing down and driving with extra care when you see flashing lights, making sure first responders can see the number on your house and, if they’re coming to you, making sure the space is brightly and evenly-lit will help them to do their remarkable job.
Neuroplaces conference – no longer a niche
With over 2,000 people set to descend on the Protein Studios in Shoreditch next week for a packed programme of talks and sponsors ranging from Dulux to HOK and Saint Gobain over three days, it’s clear that the business case for inclusive design is well and truly made.
It’s great to see the organisers walking the walk, with a whole page of the website dedicated to all the ways that the experience will be different from the bog standard sensory assault course of bustling airless halls, inaudible talks, confusing maps on apps and a solitary ‘accessible’ toilet tucked in a corner (and down a ramp). There’s even a buddy system with EventWell’s Neurodiversity First Responders on hand to support people who need help to access the quiet spaces. I didn’t see any mention of the lighting – but I’ll let you know at the end of next week!
I’m looking forward to being part of the Biophilic panel: Designing for human flourishing on Day 2 with the brilliant founder of the Journal of Biophilic Design Dr Vanessa Champion, Environment Consultant Graham Flisher, Biophilic Design Consultant, architect and broadcaster Oliver Heath and designer Freyja Sewell.
Register here. Hope to see you there!