Riverside Fire Authority, with grant funding assistance from the Washington state Traffic Safety Commission, has installed the HAAS alert system in 10 emergency vehicles since the beginning of this year.
The HAAS alert system was designed to provide notification to drivers of an approaching emergency vehicle through vehicle infotainment systems and cellular mapping devices. The system is compatible with 2018 and newer models of Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Chrysler, and newer models of Volkswagen. HAAS Alert is actively working on broadening the alerts to more platforms and vehicles. Alerts are also accessible through popular navigation apps like Waze and Apple Maps.
This device also alerts other emergency vehicles of the approach of additional emergency units. The HAAS alert device is initiated when emergency lights are activated. This technology provides public and responder safety benefits along with secondary collision risk reduction capability, according to a news release from Riverside Fire Authority.
Reports generated with HAAS from February through May show other drivers were alerted 5,654 times of an approaching emergency vehicle or the driver was nearing an accident scene. A total of 92 responding unit to responding unit alerts were also provided in that time frame. This technology provides an added mechanism for public safety alerts letting drivers know of approaching emergency vehicles or advice of an emergency scene ahead.
“We appreciate the opportunity to deploy these units with the grant afforded through the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and the added safety benefit they provide in our community,” Erik Olson, Riverside Fire Authority assistant chief, said in a news release.
For more information about the HAAS alert system, visit https://www.haasalert.com/.
