About

John Killeen is an Intensive Care Paramedic with the Australian Capital Territory Ambulance Service in Canberra, Australia. He works both on-road and in the ACT Ambulance management team. John has been involved with visual warning research for emergency vehicles since 1998 when he compiled a comprehensive research report titled “The theoretical and practical aspects of visual warning methods in use on emergency vehicles”. This report is now a key reference document for Australian emergency agencies.

In 2005 John designed the high-visibility markings and advanced warning light system fitted to ACT Ambulance vehicles. The Tasmanian Ambulance Service adopted the markings in 2006. Two independent reviews of current research and John Killeen’s findings led to other Australian ambulance agencies changing to high-visibility marking schemes. John received an Australian Capital Territory Occupational Health & Safety award and was a finalist in the 2006 national Safework Australia awards.

During 2008-09 John worked in close collaboration with Air Services Australia to entirely redesign visual safety on their fleet of 250 fire-fighting & support vehicles positioned at twenty-five airports across Australia. John provides specialist guidance to EMS, Fire and Police agencies in Australia, Canada and the United States.

The safety award presented in 2006 generated significant and renewed interest in emergency vehicle visual safety issues. John authors the popular Ambulance Visibility website and the allied Ambulance Visibility Blog which receive over one million hits and fifty thousand visitors each year. John Killeen continues to speak on visibility issues at conferences, seminars and via internet webinars to world-wide audiences.