Carlow’s fire service is first in the country to use new alert system
The county’s Fire and Rescue Service is installing digital alerting in eight of its vehicles
CARLOW has become the first county in Ireland to implement a new technology to protect motorists during emergency incidents.
The county’s Fire and Rescue Service is taking road safety to a new level by installing digital alerting in eight of its emergency service vehicles.
The Safety Cloud digital alerting warns other road users of the presence of a fire appliance responding to an emergency, or when road users are approaching an accident scene.
This will give emergency vehicles safer and quicker passage to emergencies while giving other road users time to slow down, move over or avoid the scene completely by taking an alternative route.
The alert system is compatible with the Apple Maps and Waze apps and in-built software across a number of vehicle brands. It appears in the form of a text and symbol notification.
“Drivers can be easily distracted and this new software will give them advance notice of their proximity to an emergency vehicle or scene,” said Ben Woodhouse, acting chief fire officer of Carlow County Fire and Rescue Service.
“Our emergency drivers are highly trained, in line with the RSA’s Emergency Service Driving Standard, and use traditional alerting methods such as blue lights and sirens alongside this new technology. This means drivers will have a longer response time to react and adjust to any changes to their commute or new road hazards. The aim is that this technology will result in a safer community by protecting emergency vehicle drivers and ordinary road users alike.” HAAS Alert, the technology developers, expanded Safety Cloud’s coverage to Europe in November 2023, and this marks the first time the service has been implemented in Ireland. Last year, Carlow County Fire and Rescue Service collaborated with HPMP Ltd, Tullow and Acetech Global, Tullamore, to design and deliver the greenest fire appliance in Ireland.
The ECO-class fire appliance was the first to incorporate the vehicle-to-vehicle real time alerting software.
“Since its launch last August, emergency drivers have noted a positive response to the alerting system,’’ said Mr Woodhouse. “We will run a pilot for one year with eight fire service vehicles and – if it is successful – we will incorporate this software into our entire fleet.” The technology will be installed into five Carlow fire engines, two jeeps and one emergency tender.
