For Immediate Release

Press Release issued by

Fuel Safe Systems

 As we step forward into the dawning of a new era of consideration by automakers for the concerns of our nations law enforcement personnel, we at Fuel Safe Systems are saddened by the lack of concern for the men and women in the service of protecting our public who will not benefit immediately in any manner from the future safety improvements planned for what may be considered the pre-eminent police vehicle of the late 20^th and early 21^st century. The release of information by Ford Motor Company regarding the availability, at extra cost, of an optional fire suppression device for the 2005 model year Crown Victoria Police Interceptor bodes well for those agencies not strapped with budget concerns. The functionality of this device remains in question by industry experts, as does the philosophy of installing such a complex device when there are simpler, proven methods available today. Nonetheless, it is a positive step and is applauded by our Company.

 We at Fuel Safe are more than curious at the apparent lack of concern for the many agencies who are unable to wait until 2005 for safety devices, and those agencies who are at this very moment dispatching officers to calls in a vehicle that has no meaningful protection and will not be offered any from the automaker, as the new system cannot be retrofitted to older vehicles. We have multiple protection devices available in the aftermarket today that are proven to lessen the likelihood of a fuel fed fire, and all of the devices have been panned by Ford Motor Company as not providing one hundred percent guaranteed protection, or are not up to their own standards for use on today's police vehicles. We humbly disagree with Ford on this point, and while we concede that no product, regardless of its design virtues, can be 100% effective, even an eighty percent increase in protection would mean that eight of the eleven officers killed in the last 5 years would likely still be going home to their loved ones at the end of a shift.

The Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor offers virtually unmatched performance in collision survivability for its occupants. It is only the harsh duty that a police vehicle sees, on the side of our nations roadways, inches from vehicles traveling legally at speeds over 65 MPH, that exposes the fuel system to collision forces that can cause leakage of gasoline, and thusly, the fuel fed fire ensues. It is our philosophy that in order to reduce the possibility of fire, you must lessen the chance for gasoline to escape from the fuel system in order to protect the vehicle and its occupants. For the last thirty years our company has done just that, in every form of motor-sports known to man. For the last year we have provide the same safety to officers in various agencies across the country.

We have proven in crash testing to be able to provide a fuel cell system that survives an 82 MPH impact with no meaningful leakage of gasoline. In recent testing performed by the City of Dallas, Texas, three CVPI's were hit at 75 MPH with Ford's recommended fixes installed and all test vehicles suffered massive hemorrhaging of the fuel tanks caused by common police equipment stored in the trunks of the vehicles. While the efficacy of the proposed optional equipment that will be available in 2005 has yet to be proven, what can be done for the hundreds of thousands of CVPI's in service this very day all across this great country? Yes, in 2005 a computer controlled fire suppression device may possibly save someone's life, or will it malfunction like the lighter socket in your own vehicle that you drive today? A passive system, that relies upon no electronics, no driver interaction, no Rube Goldberg complexities, but just tried and true technology that has been protecting pilots, racecar drivers, and our military personnel for over 60 years is what is needed to protect those forgotten by this "brave new world" of compassion for our officers. We offer such a device, and invite any and all to visit our facility to witness the construction and testing that is behind the technology. 

 Congratulations to Ford Motor Company for their compassion for the officers of the future, but let us all think and act to protect the officers with us today.