“We’ve had cases with six figure claimsagainst us that we could successfully refutebecause we had the technology to provethat our driver had the green light. We canalso substantiate the training our drivershave had and the protocol they follow whenusing the preemption system. This translatesinto substantial savings in claims to thecommunity.”—Richard Gonzales, Fire Chief, Denver,Colorado

“As congestion increases, we must find waysto allow emergency vehicles to move freelyon our streets, sometimes even at theexpense of general traffic. We are usingsignal preemption systems as one way to getthe fire vehicles where they need to go.”—William Kloos, Signal System Manager,Portland Office of Transportation

“There is a difference driving through signalswhere we know we will have the green light.We are driving much safer, and not havingto stop is improving our response by aconsiderable amount of time.”—Captain Pat Davies, LogisticsDepartment, Portland Fire Bureau

Realize Cost Savings with EmergencyVehicle Preemption

Consider the costs to city budgets of onetraffic incident involving an emergencyvehicle. The scene of the emergency losesits critically needed assistance, and a secondcrisis is created. Additional local or nearbyemergency vehicles must be dispatched toboth scenes, straining limited resources andincreasing the chances for yet anotherincident.

Emergency vehicle preemption increases:

• The area that emergency vehicles cancover in required response times

• Safety of emergency vehicle personneland the public

And reduces:

• Costs of replacing emergency vehiclesdamaged in crashes

• Legal liability of public agencies whenmotorists are injured

Fairfax County, Virginia

INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

U.S. Department of TransportationRoom 3422, HVH-1400 7th Street, SW

Washington, DC 20590Phone: (202) 366-0722

Facsimile: (202) 366-3302Or visit our web site at www.its.dot.gov

“The highest rate of return for an investmentis when lives are saved. We know our AVL[Automatic Vehicle Location] and vehiclepreemption systems have saved lives.”—John Nelson, Phoenix City Councilman

FHWA-JPO-99-002

Traffic Congestion Delays EmergencyVehicles

“It is next to impossible for an emergencyvehicle driver to be assured that all thetraffic at an intersection is aware he isproceeding through the intersection. Newsoundproof cars and louder stereo systemsoften override the awareness of a siren. Ouremergency vehicle drivers rely on emergencyvehicle preemption to improve their responsesafety and the safety to the public.”—Ray Digby, Fire Chief, Nanaimo, Canada

Rapid growth in our nation’s cities hassignificantly increased traffic congestion atmajor intersections. To improve emergencyvehicle response times and safety, as well asto resolve the challenges that extendedrush-hour commutes and gridlock situationspresent to drivers of emergency vehicles,communities are turning to emergencyvehicle preemption systems for trafficsignals.

“We can provide a better response time tofire and emergency medical service (EMS)vehicles en route to an emergency. We’reequipping our signalized intersections withemergency vehicle preemption, a system thatenables the drivers of fire and EMS vehiclesto change red lights to green, moving themmore efficiently through intersections.”—Tom Outlaw, Deputy Assistant Director,Traffic and Transportation Division,Houston Public Works and EngineeringDepartment

Emergency Vehicle Preemption CreatesEfficiency in Motion

Emergency vehicle preemption allows firetrucks and ambulances to intervene in thenormal operation of traffic control systemsusing wireless communications installed ontraffic intersections and emergency vehicles.

As the emergency vehicle approaches atraffic signal, it is recognized by the trafficsignal controller through light, radio waves,or sound. The normal green-yellow-and-redcycle can then be interrupted to change thelight to green.

Nationwide, officials experienced inemergency vehicle preemption are praisingthe rewards of this system.

“The benefits in terms of improved responsetimes and safety are highly desirable. Webelieve emergency vehicle preemption forambulances and fire trucks is of significantvalue to warrant its application.”—George Human, TransportationDirector, Richardson, Texas

First Responders Arrive at Scene Fasterwith Emergency Vehicle Preemption

Shorter response times for emergencyvehicles enable them to arrive at a scene inthe initial moments when their key decisionsare important. For a fire fighter, arriving aminute sooner at a scene may mean beingable to stop the spread of fire. In a medicalemergency, saved time may be the differencebetween life and death, giving medics theopportunity to stabilize and treat a victim.

Emergency vehicle preemption increases:

• Speed of responders in reaching a scene• The time available for making critical

decisions

And potentially reduces:

• Damage to public and private propertycaused by delayed responses to fires,chemical spills, and other hazardousevents

• Fatalities

“We are installing traffic signal preemptionon a large-scale basis in the City of Cheyenne.The demonstration system now in place forour main fire station shows signal preemptionto be vital for public safety—it significantlyreduces response times, virtually eliminatesthe risk of emergency/civilian vehiclecollisions in the protected areas, anddramatically lowers the stress levels that firefighters experience while transiting theprotected intersections.”— Mike Pfender, Traffic ServicesSuperintendent, Cheyenne, Wyoming

Fairfax County, Virginia

“We’ve had cases with six figure claimsagainst us that we could successfully refutebecause we had the technology to provethat our driver had the green light. We canalso substantiate the training our drivershave had and the protocol they follow whenusing the preemption system. This translatesinto substantial savings in claims to thecommunity.”—Richard Gonzales, Fire Chief, Denver,Colorado

“As congestion increases, we must find waysto allow emergency vehicles to move freelyon our streets, sometimes even at theexpense of general traffic. We are usingsignal preemption systems as one way to getthe fire vehicles where they need to go.”—William Kloos, Signal System Manager,Portland Office of Transportation

“There is a difference driving through signalswhere we know we will have the green light.We are driving much safer, and not havingto stop is improving our response by aconsiderable amount of time.”—Captain Pat Davies, LogisticsDepartment, Portland Fire Bureau

Realize Cost Savings with EmergencyVehicle Preemption

Consider the costs to city budgets of onetraffic incident involving an emergencyvehicle. The scene of the emergency losesits critically needed assistance, and a secondcrisis is created. Additional local or nearbyemergency vehicles must be dispatched toboth scenes, straining limited resources andincreasing the chances for yet anotherincident.

Emergency vehicle preemption increases:

• The area that emergency vehicles cancover in required response times

• Safety of emergency vehicle personneland the public

And reduces:

• Costs of replacing emergency vehiclesdamaged in crashes

• Legal liability of public agencies whenmotorists are injured

Fairfax County, Virginia

INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

U.S. Department of TransportationRoom 3401, HOIT-1400 7th Street, SW

Washington, DC 20590Phone: (202) 366-0722

Facsimile: (202) 366-3302Or visit our web site at www.its.dot.gov

“The highest rate of return for an investmentis when lives are saved. We know our AVL[Automatic Vehicle Location] and vehiclepreemption systems have saved lives.”—John Nelson, Phoenix City Councilman

FHWA-JPO-99-002