Get Emergency Response Vehicles On the Scene Faster With Better Data
Managing how long it takes for first responders to arrive is one of the oldest challenges of emergency responses in traffic management. While the average response time to a 911 call is about 5 to 6 minutes for police and about 7 minutes for EMS in urban areas, many issues can delay their arrival.
The longer it takes for first responders to arrive, the greater the risk of secondary crashes due to the environment becoming more dangerous. Examples include more traffic congestion, dangers to responders, and debris or fuel on the road surface. Drivers stuck in traffic are also more likely to take dangerous measures to leave congested areas, such as unsafe detours or driving on the shoulders.
Discover how technology-based solutions like the Omnisight FusionSensor can help your community find and coordinate responses to incidents more quickly and safely.
Common Issues Delaying Emergency Response Times
Most cities and communities depend on various types of first responders to detect and address emergencies. Whether it’s police or highway patrol securing a crash scene, EMS retrieving injured people, fire departments putting out vehicle fires, or tow operators clearing wrecks, they must all respond quickly to be effective.
However, even with current-generation traffic congestion solutions, most cities face recurring problems that increase response times, including:
- Heavy traffic congestion. Jammed roads and gridlock prevent emergency vehicles from bypassing traffic jams or using alternative routes, even with emergency lights and sirens. A 2020 London study found that every extra 1% of congestion increases response times by one second.
- Inaccurate incident detection. Most incidents are first reported through a 911 call from a driver or a passerby. These calls often provide vague, sometimes inaccurate information about the incident’s location. First responders may waste precious time finding the location without sensors or additional road safety data from other sources.
- Limited resources and prioritization. Many smaller communities have access to a limited number of first-responder vehicles. Without accurate traffic safety and incident information, dispatchers prioritize less important calls, resulting in the delayed arrival of emergency personnel.
- Poor coordination. The different agencies with first-responder units within your community may not always communicate with each other. Dispatch confusion and redundant trips can accidentally extend emergency response times.
- Physical limits. Work zones, narrow roads, blocked shoulders, and other obstacles can decrease the number of motor vehicles a road can support and bring average vehicle speeds down. If emergency responders need these roads, these obstacles can impede timely access for emergency vehicles.
- Bad weather. Some weather conditions, such as heavy rain, fog, snow, ice, and sleet, can lower visibility or make roads more dangerous to drive on. In addition to slowing vehicles down, these conditions can also delay 911 calls.
How The Omnisight FusionSensor Helps Reduce Response Times
The FusionSensor is a multimodal sensor designed to support your city’s traffic calming and emergency response capabilities.
Benefits of implementing it into your public transportation management network:
- Reduce congestion with real-time alerts. The FusionSensor’s AI-enabled high-definition video camera and HD3D radar can accurately detect traffic jams from the moment they happen. They can send automatic notifications to first responders and public transit authorities, helping them quickly manage traffic and clear jams.
- Accurate incident detection. If the FusionSensor detects an incident, it can accurately determine the number and types of vehicles, occupants, and pedestrians involved. It will also report their exact location, helping to reduce the number of vague reports and accelerate emergency response efforts.
- Help first responders prioritize. FusionSensors are equipped with onboard TrueEdge processing, allowing them to function as real-time incident monitoring tools. They can accurately assess the severity and extent of any incident they detect, helping more limited police and emergency services use their resources more effectively.
- V2X alerts for coordination. Omnisight’s FusionSensor supports vehicle-to-everything (V2X) alerts, instantly notifying every public safety agency. Every organization, from police to tow trucks, can receive information about incidents instantly and from the same sources, eliminating redundancies or gaps in communication.
- Compatibility with adaptive traffic timing. If a crash or another incident blocks the road, the FusionSensor can connect to adaptive signal timing (AST) systems to redirect other vehicles, helping restore the free flow of traffic. This can be especially beneficial to guide drivers through narrow or restricted roadways, keeping them open for emergency vehicles.
- All-weather reliability. The Omnisight FusionSensor is a traffic congestion solution that works 24/7, 365 days a year. The onboard radar works even in low visibility, at night, and in bad weather, detecting incidents that others might miss, enabling agencies to respond faster and more efficiently.
Better Public Safety Through Technology With Omnisight
Cities, urban centers, and communities can use Omnisight’s FusionSensor to support their first responders’ missions. Gain access to real-time, accurate, and reliable traffic information, enabling your local police, EMS, fire departments, and city tow trucks to respond more quickly.
Want to reduce emergency response times in your city? Schedule a free consultation with us to discuss your traffic safety needs and learn how FusionSensor technology can strengthen your traffic safety strategy.