One of the USA’s leaders in the development and deployment of vehicle preemption systems has announced that it will discuss the benefits of the technology at the Emergency Medical Services Congress (EMS2016), which will bring together scientists, emergency responders and other professionals to discuss innovations and creative approaches to all aspects of pre-hospital treatment and emergency medical care.
Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) will be present to discuss priority traffic control for emergency vehicles during EMS2016, which takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 30 to June 1. The company will focus on the benefits of intelligent traffic signal systems for ambulances and other emergency vehicles at this unique European industry event. GTT will highlight the gains that can be made by using EVP (emergency vehicle preemption) priority control systems – technology that enables priority at intersection green lights for emergency vehicles, allowing first responders to respond to incidents more quickly and safely. EMS2016 is the first of its kind event for GTT, which is a world leader in priority control and traffic sensing systems, with thousands of implementations of its acclaimed Opticom EVP technology.
The company’s Opticom system allows ambulances and other emergency vehicles to navigate congested intersections more effectively, and as a result, response times can be improved, while at the same time reducing the potential for deadly accidents. Specifically, up to a 25% reduction in response time and 70% fewer accidents for first responders have been observed. On May 31, GTT’s market and development director, Tim Hall, will host a discussion named ‘Priority Control System Architectures and Benefits for European Applications’. The session will look at the history and future of the different technologies used in priority control systems, the benefits of EVP systems, including lowered response times, better patient outcomes, increased safety, and the impact on traffic coordination. Hall will identify the major lessons learned in North America and the critical deployment elements of EVP technologies, all of which is designed to help European agencies achieve optimal benefits immediately.
GTT’s vice president for EMEA markets, Richard Eltze, said, “EMS2016 is an important and highly valuable event for the emergency medical services in Europe. As a company we’re very excited to be involved. This is a fantastic opportunity to share creative approaches and best practice with key EMS professionals and academics.”
GTT has just been awarded a contract by the city of Anaheim, California, and Anaheim Fire & Rescue for the implementation of its latest-generation Opticom GPS pre-emption system, which works alongside intersection controllers to ensure emergency vehicles can move through intersections rapidly and safely. The Opticom system includes a GPS component for location and wireless communications between authorized emergency vehicles and the intersections they approach. When an emergency vehicle needs to navigate an intersection quickly and safely, a request is sent to the intersection’s controller ahead of its arrival, turning the light green and clearing a path to enable the vehicle’s safe passage.
GTT’s CEO, Doug Roberts, said, “We are delighted to continue our ongoing work in Anaheim and to continue our relationship with Anaheim Fire & Rescue. Our system is helping to improve operational safety reducing travel time to emergencies and increasing the safety of both the public and fire personnel.”
