NEW GPS technology is set to help save lives in West Yorkshire.
Fire crews answering 999 calls will have equipment to turn traffic lights ahead of them to green – saving vital seconds on emergency calls.
The county’s fire service is the first emergency service in the UK to use the Green Wave traffic light recognition system, which may save lives.
The GPS positioning system has been installed on fire engines in Leeds for a trial run.
They activate when the fire engine’s emergency blue lights are switched on and when approaching key traffic light locations. The system sends a priority call to the Leeds Traffic Light Control System.
Ground-breaking technology is used to predict and monitor the arrival of the fire engine at various signals along a route.
Computers then alert the traffic signals so that they turn to green early enough to clear any existing queue and cancel only when the fire appliance has gone through.
Although by law fire engines can proceed through red lights with caution, it can be difficult for both the firefighters and other motorists, and naturally slows the fire engine down as it negotiates traffic safely.
Sometimes the fire engine cannot reach the lights because of queuing traffic and it has to slow down in order to pass through a red light safely.
The Green Wave scheme was piloted on Hunslet’s two fire engines last year and has since been installed at Leeds Fire Station in Kirkstall Road and Gipton, with a view to being rolled out across West Yorkshire in the very near future. It operates at just the busiest junctions.
The system is pioneering in that it uses GPS technology and computers to alert the traffic lights.
In other countries, including some parts of the USA, emergency services have been able to flash infra-red lights when approaching traffic signals to change them to green.
Other systems, including some used in the UK, have allowed transponders in buses to alter traffic light sequences.
Testing by the West Yorkshire fire service revealed it achieved an average of 14% reduction in journey times across all junctions, with some journeys reduced by as much as 63%. It has a 98% reliability rate.
As the technology was already in use, the fire service say adapting it for West Yorkshire’s fire engines has been relatively cheap.
Asst Chief Officer Craig McIntosh from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The Green Wave system means a safer and faster journey for firefighters en route to emergencies.
“We are delighted to be the first emergency service in the UK to use this wonderful technology, which will enable us to provide a better service to the people of West Yorkshire.”
