Emergency alerts directed to your vehicle; keeping responders safe

Emergency alerts directed to your vehicle

Some fire departments are using a new system that helps alert drivers of emergency situations.

HARTFORD, Wis - What if you knew an emergency vehicle was trying to pass you before you could spot the flashing lights and siren? Some fire departments in southeast Wisconsin are using a new system that helps alert drivers of emergency situations. 

Wisconsin law requires…

What we know:

When you see an emergency vehicle with lights and sirens going, Wisconsin law requires drivers to do one of two things. 

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"Must move over a lane, give them a lane gap. And if you are not able to due to traffic or the road situation, to slow down," said Tony Burgard, Hartford Fire & Rescue Fire Chief. 

But in some cases, drivers might not see the flashing lights until it is too late. 

"Every year, there’s a minimum of 50 first responders that are killed – struck by a car working," Burgard said. 

New tech

What's next:

Fire Chief Burgard said his department now has a system that alerts nearby drivers if a fire truck or ambulance is coming their way. It is called the HAAS Alert Safety Cloud. 

HAAS Alert Safety Cloud

"You don’t have to wait to hear the siren behind you – you get a pop-up notification. It turns down the volume," Burgard said. 

Burgard said the Safety Cloud is already integrated into a number of cars – and for users of Apple maps or WAZE.

"And for those five days we ran about 12 calls in that time period– and notified 205 drivers," Burgard said. 

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All of the information being sent to drivers comes through a little box. Officials said it's just another tool to help ensure safety for first responders as they work to keep everyone safe. 

Slinger and Germantown Fire Departments are also using Safety Cloud.