Story originally published by The Derby Informer

South Strabane first responders are reminding drivers to “move over.”

On Monday, the township hosted a press conference highlighting Pennsylvania’s “Move Over” law, followed by a demonstration of the fire department’s latest technology, a state-of-the-art device that fire Chief Jordan Cramer hopes will keep his crews safe while responding to accidents.

“The most significant risk to our firefighters and their families is not them crawling through burning buildings. It’s not climbing a ladder seven stories in the air or handling hazardous materials. The single-most treacherous duty for our firefighters lies on our highways, specifically I-70 and I-79. And it keeps getting worse,” said Cramer. “We frequently encounter near-misses where motorists traveling at excessive speeds, or distracted by various factors, or simply lacking regard for first responders narrowly avoid collision with our fire apparatus and endangering our personnel. Enough is enough.”

State Trooper Forest Allison said the state’s “Move Over” law requires drivers approaching the flashing lights of a first responder vehicle move into the next lane, or slow down to speeds no faster than 20 miles per hour.

Those who do not move over or slow down could face fines up to $500 and, in some cases, a driver’s license suspension.

“As always, our goal is to gain compliance by education rather than enforcement,” Allison said.

In an effort to help the public help first responders, South Strabane announced it’s at the cutting edge of safety technology, thanks to a generous partnership with South Hills Chrysler.

South Hills Chrysler president Larry Winter is covering the monthly costs of HAAS emergency alert devices in all South Strabane fire apparatus and the chief’s vehicle, after an incident earlier this year left a motorist injured after their car struck the truck.

“Our ladder truck was protecting the scene of a vehicle accident on the interstate. It was struck by a motorist that failed to change lanes and move over,” recalled Cramer, who was on the scene. “Vehicles and tractor-trailers sped past us at alarming speeds ... causing our 60,000-pound ladder truck to shake like it was a toy.”

Winter and his wife saw the incident on the news and felt compelled to do something.

“My wife was watching the news one night and there was an accident on (Interstate) 70, I think it was 70. My son is the assistant chief here. We didn’t know he was actually in the truck. These guys do a very difficult job. You gotta protect them,” said Winter, who is also working with North Strabane and Cecil Township first responders to get HAAS into their fire apparatus.

HAAS devices are black boxes that fit snuggly on a vehicle’s dashboard. When the first responder turns on his or her lights, the HAAS box sends a notification to map applications including Apple Maps and Waze (Google hasn’t yet jumped on board with the technology).

Those maps alert drivers to the first responder ahead, much the way maps tell drivers about a slowdown. The goal is that these notifications encourage drivers to switch lanes or slow down.

“All it requires is one person to slow down,” Winter said. “Everybody else has to do the same.

For first responders at a scene along heavily traveled or high-speed roads, motorists moving over or slowing down really is a matter of life or death.

“Last year, 51 United States emergency first responders were struck and killed. The year before that, 65 were struck and killed. Last year, four of those 51 responders were Pennsylvania responders,” said Todd Leiss, PA Turnpike Traffic Incident Management Coordinator. “There’s two responders struck every day in the United States due to people not slowing down and moving over. That tells you how dangerous a road is.”

Winter said he thinks HAAS devices should be standard, and is happy to help local departments access this technology, which is gaining traction across the country. Winter partnered with South Strabane, North Strabane and Cecil because they cover the highways, he said.

The HAAS devices are supplied by Florian ReApparatus.

Cramer said he’s grateful to Winter for the HAAS alert devices and hopes it helps keep his first responders safe in the line of duty.

But no technology is worth its weight if the public isn’t on board, heeding alerts – and the “Move Over” law.

“It is undoubtedly the most dangerous thing that we do. No one’s paying attention. People continue to drive ... faster, put us at risk,” Cramer said. “It is imperative that we embrace the simple yet life-saving principal slow down and move over when you encounter flashing lights or a disabled vehicle.”