Every second counts in an emergency. That’s why first responders in Elk Grove started using new technology to cut down on the time it takes for them to get to fires or medical calls.LYT.emergency, a cloud-based technology, could make emergency responses quicker and safer for everyone on the road, according to the Cosumnes Fire Department.Cosumnes Fire integrated the program with its dispatch center and the city of Elk Grove’s traffic light system in late May.The technology turns traffic lights green as it detects first responders on their way to an emergency scene and the fire department says it does that in a quicker, more reliable fashion than traditional technologies.“This system knows when our units are on an emergency,” Deputy Chief Dan Quiggle with the Cosumnes Fire Department said. “It knows where they physically are and it knows when they're approaching an intersection that the system has control over. And it turns those lights green in the direction of travel of the vehicle and it can do that well in advance.”According to Quiggle, the city of Elk Grove has roughly 155 intersections with traffic lights and the fire department is testing LYT.emergency at 43 of those intersections – the major east/west thoroughfares through Elk Grove."Those 43 intersections interact with our dispatch center, with the LYT system, with the location of our vehicles, and turn the lights green, preferably, before we get there," Quiggle said.Unlike traditional traffic light-changing methods used by fire crews involving a transmitter and receive site, the new technology doesn't require a straight line of sight that can be hampered by bright lights or slight angles/curves in the road.“This system knows where our vehicles are by using basically the same data and technology that's in your cellphone or your tablet using the cellular network,” Quiggle said. “Then this system is integrated into our fire dispatch center to know when our units are on an emergency because we only want to change the lights when we're on an emergency.”Quiggle said that the technology is being paid for by funds from Measure E, a sales tax measure passed by voters in the city of Elk Grove and earmarked for the fire department.The LYT.emergency technology will be tested by the department for a year and the Cosumnes fire department will decide if it wants to continue using it after that.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.
ELK GROVE, Calif. —
Every second counts in an emergency. That’s why first responders in Elk Grove started using new technology to cut down on the time it takes for them to get to fires or medical calls.
LYT.emergency, a cloud-based technology, could make emergency responses quicker and safer for everyone on the road, according to the Cosumnes Fire Department.
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Cosumnes Fire integrated the program with its dispatch center and the city of Elk Grove’s traffic light system in late May.
The technology turns traffic lights green as it detects first responders on their way to an emergency scene and the fire department says it does that in a quicker, more reliable fashion than traditional technologies.
“This system knows when our units are on an emergency,” Deputy Chief Dan Quiggle with the Cosumnes Fire Department said. “It knows where they physically are and it knows when they're approaching an intersection that the system has control over. And it turns those lights green in the direction of travel of the vehicle and it can do that well in advance.”
According to Quiggle, the city of Elk Grove has roughly 155 intersections with traffic lights and the fire department is testing LYT.emergency at 43 of those intersections – the major east/west thoroughfares through Elk Grove.
"Those 43 intersections interact with our dispatch center, with the LYT system, with the location of our vehicles, and turn the lights green, preferably, before we get there," Quiggle said.
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Unlike traditional traffic light-changing methods used by fire crews involving a transmitter and receive site, the new technology doesn't require a straight line of sight that can be hampered by bright lights or slight angles/curves in the road.
“This system knows where our vehicles are by using basically the same data and technology that's in your cellphone or your tablet using the cellular network,” Quiggle said. “Then this system is integrated into our fire dispatch center to know when our units are on an emergency because we only want to change the lights when we're on an emergency.”
Quiggle said that the technology is being paid for by funds from Measure E, a sales tax measure passed by voters in the city of Elk Grove and earmarked for the fire department.
The LYT.emergency technology will be tested by the department for a year and the Cosumnes fire department will decide if it wants to continue using it after that.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.
