Responding on the road is dangerous for firefighters and EMS workers, but digital alerting is the key to improved emergency responder protection.

Firefighters and EMS workers are under the constant threat of near misses and struck-by collisions due to the precarious state of roadway safety. Drivers on the road are more distracted than ever. The temptation to scroll through texts and social media on phones is ever present. The National Safety Council (NSC) and the Emergency Responder Safety Institute have even found that 71 percent of drivers take out their phones to snap pictures or record videos while passing an emergency vehicle on the road.

Gear shifts and in-vehicle infotainment centers have become more intricate and distracting. On top of that, newer cars have become incredibly soundproof. Some vehicles available to the motoring public boast sound-deadening underbody shields or installing active noise-cancellation solutions that make it difficult to hear emergency vehicles' sirens. 

Impact of distracted driving on first responders

The worse these distractions become, the more first responders are at risk for injury and even death when they respond on the road. The NSC reports that 19 percent of drivers admit their own inattentiveness has likely put first responders at risk.

Every year, tens of thousands of collisions occur between civilian drivers and emergency vehicles. In 2017, 15,000+ fire department vehicles in the US were involved in collisions. Similarly, up to 25 percent of annual line-of-duty firefighter fatalities are attributed to motor vehicle crashes. 

Departments may have to deal with expensive legal repercussions and replacing an emergency vehicle can cost millions. When that apparatus is damaged and out of commission, that leads to less emergency apparatus on the road to protect the community. 

While there is no comprehensive data available on the total cost to society of vehicle-related first responder fatalities, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) estimated that the average overall cost of a fatal collision involving a regular citizen is $11.2 million. 

This breakdown includes the average cost of emergency services, medical services, lost wages and fringe benefits, household productivity loss, insurance processing, workplace costs, legal costs, and congestion impacts. But as plenty of crashes and near misses go unreported, these figures are likely underestimated.

While firefighters and EMS workers must accept the inherent risks that come with their jobs. But some of these dangers are avoidable. Emerging technology like digital alerting systems have the potential to finally begin reducing the number of unnecessary collisions, injuries, deaths, and costs that accumulate every year.

How digital alert systems improve first emergency responder protection

A digital alert system is an electronic notification sent directly to a driver. HAAS Alert leverages this technology in its flagship platform Safety Cloud® to enable emergency and road maintenance vehicles to broadcast life-saving digital alerts that notify drivers of nearby emergency responders. Any alerting vehicle or asset can be equipped with digital alerting technology. 

These notifications inform drivers that there is a nearby or upcoming roadway hazard or emergency vehicle and they need to slow down and move over to give those personnel clearance to safely do their jobs. Safety Cloud broadcasts digital alerts straight to connected vehicles up to 30 seconds before they reach EMTs and firefighters working on the road.

Digital alerting offers more than traffic preemption

Emergency vehicle preemption (EVP) helps first responders arrive on the scene faster and safer by adjusting traffic signals. This technology gives emergency response vehicles a green light on their approach to an intersection while providing a red light to conflicting approaches. Emergency vehicles communicate with traffic lights through a piece of hardware or direct software integrations. 

As vehicles equipped with EVP have the power to change traffic lights, this technology greatly reduces the chance of emergency vehicle-related collisions at intersections. EVP enables emergency responders to get on scene fast, allowing them to swiftly provide medical attention to members of the community.

While they do have similarities, digital alerting and EVP provide different purposes. Digital alerting on its own has nothing to do with traffic lights. Emergency vehicles equipped with a digital alerting system like Safety Cloud communicate with other vehicles and assets on the road instead of traffic lights. When an emergency vehicle broadcasts a digital alert, it notifies nearby drivers to slow down and move over, instead of completely coming to a stop for a red light.

However, there is a use case for EVP and digital alerting to come together as a cutting-edge vehicle-to-everything solution. When they are fully integrated, EVP will activate green lights for emergency vehicles and then a digital alert would be broadcasted to notify drivers of that nearby responding unit. This joint solution unifies the best part of each technology to provide the safest route to emergency responders as possible. 

Digital alerting improves connected vehicle safety through vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication

Digital alerting is a form of V2X, which refers to a vehicle's ability to communicate with its surroundings. This powers connected cars to send and receive data with things along their pathway on the road. 

When vehicles are connected in this way, they have the potential to share real-time data with drivers, pedestrians, responders, and everyone else that shares the road. Most vehicles today come with some level of connectivity, making them capable of some level of V2X communication. The capability is typically powered through cellular networks or with advanced hardware.

Highway fatalities from car crashes are rising at an alarming rate. This includes a rise in casualties among first responders. But when civilian vehicles are capable of receiving advanced warning about responders on the road, the chance of collision is significantly reduced. 

Thanks to V2X communication, drivers are able to be alerted to imminent crash situations, such as a merging truck ahead or a vehicle suddenly braking. This driver gives more than enough time to move over and provide emergency personnel with the clearance they need to safely do their jobs. 

V2X can help keep all roadway users safe as it assists cars in remaining aware of their surrounding environment, such as potential hazards and current traffic conditions. NHTSA predicts that V2X will enhance safety measures and protect people on the road, with the potential to reduce crashes by 615,000 a year. 

How digital alerts improve firefighter safety

The state of firefighter safety on the road is precarious. Fighting fires may come with inherent risk. But the dangers that emergency responders face start on the road. When they have to travel at high speeds or respond to emergencies on the side of the road, firefighters are constantly at risk for struck-by collisions. But digital alert systems are key to reducing that risk. Here's how this technology has helped real firefighters stay safe on the road. 

Mount Laurel Fire Department 

Mount Laurel Fire Department Deputy Chief Larry Fox lives by Vision Zero, which is an initiative to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. Once his department came across Safety Cloud digital alerting, he decided implementing it for his fleet was a no brainer. 

Larry doubled down on that belief even after his crew was involved in a struck-by collision.

Incidents like that just speak to how important these early warning systems are to get the message to drivers to move over,” said Larry. “For fire departments, it takes upwards of two years to get a vehicle delivered from the time that it’s ordered. We need to prevent crashes so our services can be maintained in the community."

Irondale Fire Department 

In 2019, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) issued a safety alert to its members in response to a spike in motorist crashes with emergency vehicles responding to calls. This hit home for the Irondale Fire Department, as they’ve had a number of near misses with the motoring public.

The department knew there had to be more ways to protect firefighters on the road. As they were already equipped with Cradlepoint’s 4G LTE solution, the team learned they could work with HAAS Alert to activate Safety Cloud through their existing platform. The Safety Cloud-Cradlepoint integration gave the department confidence that motorists were receiving accurate and real time alerts when firefighters were actively responding to incidents in the area. 

Columbus Fire Department 

The Columbus Fire Department, which is the 14th largest in the nation, implemented Safety Cloud digital alerting after the spring of 2023. The department's research and development team conducted an analysis to determine the impact Safety Cloud has had on the community in the year since implementing the solution. 

In the year after implementation, Columbus Fire experienced a 15 percent reduction in struck-by collisions. In that same time period, units across the city saw about a 7-second reduction rate in response time. Nearly every Battalion Chief vehicle reduced its response time, with one vehicle in the fleet reducing its response time by 73 seconds.

How digital alerts improve EMS safety 

While providing medical assistance in high-stakes situations comes with inherent risk, the dangers that EMS workers face start on the road. There are a number of best practices that EMTs can abide by to stay safe while responding on the road. One of the most cost-effective and immediate initiatives that can better protect them on the road is technology solutions like digital alerting.

DC Fire & EMS

Collisions with other responding apparatus are a constant and looming threat to emergency personnel. First responders travel at high speeds when they are actively responding to an emergency — other local responding units do the same thing. Those apparatus may approach the same intersection quickly, meaning there’s a high risk for a collision between those vehicles.

Between 2019 - 2020, HAAS Alert partnered with NHTSA and D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services to demonstrate the benefits of digital alerting to public safety agencies. The project sought to improve collision prevention between emergency apparatus and civilian vehicles, along with aiming to reduce the collision risk between emergency fleets responding to the same incident.

Over the testing period, 84 EMS and fire vehicles were equipped with Safety Cloud. Those apparatus sent out 633,592 alerts. After the data was analyzed, the results were clear — 95 percent of the time, first responders notified of another approaching emergency vehicle will begin to slow down their speed.

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical

The Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical (LDCFM) provides services to about 120,000 people in Douglas County. The county is home to the University of Kansas, which adds 28,000 - 30,000 residents during the school year. The influx of students creates extra congestion on the roads, making it challenging for the department to navigate the surrounding surface streets on the way to a medical emergency.

Members of the department note while evolving automotive technology have improved safety in some ways, it's also become a detriment in others. With more distractions, drivers can't always hear sirens coming.

Approximately 65 - 70 percent of the department's responses are for emergency medical services, which means it's crucial for LDCFM to get to those scenes as safely and quickly as possible. Because of that, Kevin Joles, Division Chief of EMS, constantly worries about his team's safety in these situations. While he can't buckle their seat belts or turn on breathing apparatus, implementing solutions like Safety Cloud allows him to play a direct role in enhancing their safety.

Safety Cloud is the key to improved emergency responder protection

Safety Cloud is the key to improved emergency responder protection

Firefighters and EMS workers perform a crucial role in our communities. Emergency workers put their lives on the line to protect us and the roads we travel on. They deserve that same level of protection, and Safety Cloud digital alerting can provide it.  

Safety Cloud was created with first responders in mind. It offers a number of benefits to firefighters and EMTs, including but not limited to: 

• Better operational efficiency
• More streamlined flows of traffic
• Expedited emergency operations
• Safer on-scene environment
• Move over law compliance
• Peace of mind for first responders and their families 

Learn more about what Safety Cloud can do for your fleet.