Colonie among first areas to test car emergency vehicle alerts

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A few towns in our area including Colonie will be one of the first places in the nation to test pilot technology that alerts drivers to emergency response vehicles before they’re close by.  

“I believe it's the wave of the future, and I'm glad we're at the forefront of it, said Colonie's Town Supervisor Peter Crummey. He explained that the developing technology would tap into the infotainment systems of cars to provide the notifications.

Crummey was revved up for the $2.4 Million dollar grant, funded by the US Department of Transportation’s 'Safe Streets for All' Program. Colonie coordinated with Guilderland and Clifton Park, proving there is strength in numbers. 

“The proposal was so significant that rather than a couple hundred thousand dollars, which was the wish, actually combining our efforts with some municipalities got us $2.4 million” Crummey explained. EMS Fire Cheif Robbie MacCue added that the core of the initiative is to save lives.

"According to the Federal Department of Transportation, there are over 40,000 roadway fatalities involving pedestrians cars, and bicyclists. So our mission here is to try to reduce that number across the nation and reduce it here at home as well" MacCue explained.

First responders getting to those accidents are often delayed by the quarter million people Crummeny estimates pass through Colonie on a daily basis. “Every minute of delay for our EMS to get to a scene only aggravates an injury that's been suffered on the road" Crummey continued.

“We're taking a job that's already pretty stressful for our providers and we're adding additional layers of stress when we do have to respond with lights and sirens. So any opportunity where we can make the road safer, and response times quicker, we're gonna take that opportunity” Mac Cue told NEWS10.

Crummey says they hope to have a demonstration of how the technology officially works by next year, but the timeline is still pending on when the it will be rolled out.