First Responder (Signal Siren)

The FDOT and Seminole County Fire Department have teamed up to outfit the Fire Departments vehicles with connected vehicle On Board Units (OBU).  This will allow the Seminole County Fire Department to get visual and audio alerts for Signal Phase Timing (SPaT), Emergency Vehicle Pre-emption (EVP), Traveler Information Messages (TIM) and Roadside Alerts (RSA).  Also, the Signal Siren application was created for this project.  Signal Siren is a software-based Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) solution designed to enhance emergency response times by allowing fire and rescue vehicles to request priority at signalized intersections. It leverages Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and light bar activation status to generate EVP requests to signal controllers over a network connection using the NTCIP protocol. Unlike traditional hardware-based EVP systems, Signal Siren eliminates the need for optical line-of-sight components, reducing long-term maintenance costs and improving reliability.

For additional information, please contact Nathan Ruckert at Nathan.Ruckert@dot.state.fl.us