YORK, Pa. — A York County fire company has added a new piece of technology designed to provide real-time updates of nearby fire emergencies to drivers.
Safety Cloud by HAAS Alert protects first responders and enhances driver compliance with Move Over laws by sending real-time notifications when approaching active responders en-route or on-scene, the West Manchester Township Fire Department said in a press release.
The equipment has been added to all West Manchester Township Fire Department apparatus, Fire Chief Clifton Laughman said in the release.
"The Safety Cloud service will help to reduce the risk of drivers colliding with first responders and workers in the field by providing advance warning of their presence and adding a digital component to lights and sirens that they’re less likely to miss," the fire department said.
Safety Cloud’s digital alerting works by sending real-time notifications to nearby drivers, warning them of the presence of emergency vehicles and road workers. This advanced warning system significantly reduces the chance of collisions by up to 90%, ensuring the safety of both first responders and motorists, according to the department.
While Pennsylvania’s Move Over laws require drivers to slow down and move one lane over when approaching active emergency vehicles, many drivers still react slowly or fail to move over, the fire department said. Safety Cloud alerts give drivers up to 30 seconds of advance warning to help solve this problem.
Drivers can receive the alerts through the Waze navigation app and Apple Maps, available on mobile devices and in the dashboard of many newer-model vehicles.
Safety Cloud alerts are also now delivered to the infotainment screen of millions of vehicles through a partnership with global automaker Stellantis.
Drivers of 2018 and newer models of Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Alfa Romeo vehicles will receive Safety Cloud alerts through the new EVAS (Emergency Vehicle Alert System) feature.
Vehicles using FordSync, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto will also have the service, the fire department said.
HAAS Alert is continuing to work on expanding the alerts to other services and vehicles so that all drivers can receive these critical road safety alerts.
“We’re excited to add another level of protection for our firefighters in order to make sure they are able to do their jobs as safely as possible,” said Laughman. "This service connects and protects our crews in the field and the drivers around them by giving motorists extra time to see us, slow down, and move over safely.
"Waze and Apple Maps are free-to-use apps, so we encourage drivers to get advanced warning of our presence when we’re actively responding. In alignment with our mission to protect lives and prevent fires, the implementation of Safety Cloud will help protect the lives of our firefighters and improve the safety of our roads.”