BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A recent showcase of new, emergency technology on Kern County Fire Department equipment shows how effective Safety Cloud is.
In order to reduce the chances of on-scene collisions between fire trucks and drivers, KCFD has turned to “Haas Alert: Safety Cloud”, a digital alert system that notifies drivers in a certain proximity whenever emergency lights are activated. These alerts can be delivered through apps, navigation services and mobile devices.
Beginning Sept. 2021, select apparatus were chosen for implementation of this technology and have notified at least 297,000 drivers on the road since then, according to officials. Haas Alert says these alerts can arrive up to 30 seconds before approaching the scene, reducing risk of collision by 90%.
As more apparatus are equipped with this technology, drivers will receive more alerts but officials say that safe highway habits are necessary. Always yield to oncoming emergency vehicles and move over when approaching roadside emergencies.
