When outfitting emergency response vehicles (ERVs), there are numerous factors your local municipality will need to consider.
Most emergency vehicles require lighting, sirens, a public address system, and other equipment to operate effectively on the streets when responding to an emergency. However, what if some of these essential equipment weren’t needed or become augmented by new technology in the future?
While there will always need to be a way to alert the general public, artificial intelligence and preemption technology are helping reduce emergency response times and encourage safety and security for first responders when responding to incidents.
Understanding New ERV Technology
The goal of emergency agencies has always been to help ERVs get from point A to point B as efficiently and safely as possible while aiming to reduce emergency response times.
Typically, a combination of sirens, lights, and alert systems is necessary to notify motorists and bystanders to get out of the way of responding vehicles, but they’re only sometimes effective.
Take, for instance, drivers who wear music headsets, ERVs approaching the same intersection from a blind direction, or drivers who want to “ride the coattails” of responding vehicles for faster travel times. Unfortunately, these scenarios distract first responders from getting to the incident scene as quickly as possible.
New technology, like collision prevention and real-time digital alerting from HAAS Alert, can help address some of these issues. However, combining it with the intuitive deployment of Emergency Vehicle Preemption, like across an entire corridor, can aid in pre-clearing the roadway ahead for ERVs.
Solutions like HAAS Alert and LYT.Transit can aid in reducing the chances of side-impact collisions and other types of accidents that ERVs are often involved in today.
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Preemption Technology:
Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) software is helping to super-charge the next generation of Emergency Vehicle Preemption technology, reducing response times for emergency personnel while increasing safer travels. The days of solely relying on flashing lights and loud sirens to get to a scene don’t have to be the norm.
LYT.emergency’s next-generation EVP (emergency vehicle preemption) moves emergency vehicles through congested intersections faster, safer, and more intelligently than ever using artificial intelligence.
Harnessing the power of a single-edge device installed in your Traffic Management Center (TMC), emergency vehicles are easily outfitted and able to speak to every networked traffic signal in a given city through the LYT cloud platform.
This means a reliable green light for every emergency vehicle on every call is more affordable than other EVP products. In addition, the accessible and easy-to-install technology reduces emergency response times and is cheaper to outfit than countless lights or old-school strobe light bars.
LYT.emergency reduces side-impact collisions by up to 70%.* Thanks to the LYT platform, LYT.emergency can rush first responders to the incident scene up to 69% faster* than non-EVP-equipped intersections.*(Sources: US DOT & FHWA)
The Verdict –
Police lights, emergency lights, and emergency light bars will always accompany emergency vehicles.
However, as effective as they may be at alerting cars on the road and nearby bystanders, ensuring intersections are clear and double-checking for proper routing is the quickest way to an emergency scene. More and more new emergency response vehicles are equipped with digital alerting and preemption technology to do this effectively.
The need for countless strobe lights and siren bars to help everyone stay safe is no more. Instead, outfitting new fleets with next-generation technology means your agency can leverage data-proven preemption and alerting solutions that can help save lives and protect first responders.
The old-school emergency siren light bar is one of many pieces of safety equipment your ERVs need. To learn about LYT.emergency preemption outfitting on new vehicles, reach out here to request a demo.
