Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue announced today it has started deploying the Haas Alert Safety Cloud across its entire frontline fleet of emergency vehicles, providing an advanced, real-time alert system to improve the safety of drivers and first responders.
Haas Alert acts as a digital siren, letting drivers know an emergency vehicle is coming toward them by sending notifications directly to capable in-car navigation systems and smartphones equipped with navigation software like Apple Maps and Waze. The system creates safety improvements for first responders and the public by making sure drivers get advanced warning to slow down and move over when emergency crews are traveling to an incident or positioned near a roadway.
According to a 2013 study by the University of Michigan, when a driver receives advanced warning of an emergency vehicle in the area, there is a 90% reduction in the likelihood of collision between those two vehicles. In 2023 alone, 198 people died in crashes involving emergency vehicles, with more than half of the victims being occupants of non-emergency vehicles.
"We are constantly looking at ways to improve the safety of both our residents and our first responders. The Haas Alert Safety Cloud adds another important layer of protection,” said TVF&R Fire Chief Deric Weiss.
In addition to safety improvements, the system has the potential to improve emergency response times by proactively alerting drivers to pull over and create space for ambulances and fire engines.
TVF&R expects to outfit the Haas Alert transponder to more than 80 apparatus by the end of 2026. TVF&R joins more than 4,000 agencies nationwide already using this protection system, with HAAS Alert actively expanding to additional vehicle platforms.
Source: TVF&R