Safeguard Founders’ Vision: Why We Do What We Do
Many young people dream about their futures. Some want to become famous, wealthy, or make a “big splash” in another way. Others may have more parochial ambitions: to find a girl or guy to marry and to land a good job. In many cases, these young men and women go off to college, hoping that what they learn and whom they meet there will help them take the steps necessary to turn their dreams into realities.
The founders of Safeguard® Equipment also went to college with dreams and ambitions. Tim Ledford, Brandon Bledsoe, and John Thompson were classmates at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. But their goals were different. When they got together, they did not talk about earning a lot of money or gaining fame. They dreamt about doing something that mattered much more: saving lives. With family members in the utility industry, these young men knew that the most important thing for their families was not for these workers to bring home a paycheck every day but for their loved ones to return home safely every night.
Tim, Brandon, and John put their heads, hearts, and hands together. Their goal: provide utility workers a sixth sense that will detect the presence of energized lines and equipment, alerting them to the dangers of electrocution and shock. That dream has become Safeguard Equipment, the company they founded together.
Their efforts resulted in the development of the COMPASS personal voltage detector (PVD). The COMPASS was the first PVD on the market that provides 360-degree detection of the electrical dangers of both voltage and current. It is robust and wearable, designed to be used as standard PPE for all utility line workers, telecom workers, and others exposed to electrical dangers in the ordinary course of their jobs.
Safeguard PVDs have already saved lives, but that has not stopped this trio from innovating further. Safeguard’s newest product, the COMPASS ProTM, has added injury detection capabilities to the device. Paired with a smartphone through Safeguard’s new Bluetooth-enabled app, the COMPASS Pro provides automated emergency response capabilities to its PVDs, opening up new opportunities to materially impact the safety of utility workers in the field.
To find out more about Safeguard PVDs, including the new COMPASS Pro emergency response solution, contact Safeguard Equipment today.