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Challenge

  • Over 19,000 collisions each year involve fire department vehicles, resulting in over 1,400 injuries and representing 20-25% of annual line-of-duty fatalities (1) 
     

  • 6,500 accidents involve ambulances each year, with 35% result in injury or fatality 
     

  • Emergency vehicles fatality rates are up to 4.8 times higher than the national average (2) 
     

  • Advanced Life Support (ALS) response is 8 minutes or less (90% of the time) 
     

  • Permanent death starts in 4-6 minutes after cardiac arrest, and the chance of survival decreases 7-10% for every minute without ALS or defibrillator 

Cisco Solution

  • Cisco’s AI enhanced traffic signal prioritization and emergency vehicle preemption enable EMS vehicle to reduce emergency response time while increasing the safety of all commuters 
     

  • Enhance road safety with Cisco-powered solutions to optimize signal management, traffic signal prioritization, and detection of vulnerable road users, dangerous weather conditions, and right-of-way intrusion 

Business Impact

  • Cut emergency vehicles response time by 20–35% (3) 
     

  • Reduce EMS vehicle fatality and injury rates by 8%–10% (4) 

(1) NHTSA / Nfpa.org 
(2) Arnold & Itkin Trial Lawyers 
(3) McKinsey & Company – Smart cities: Digital solutions for a more livable future (2018) 
(4) EMS World – American Heart Association

Value Driver 1

Enhance Safety and Security

Enable emergency vehicle preemption to improve incident response times 

  • City of Franklin, Tennessee

    Located south of Nashville, TN, the City of Franklin wanted to accelerate the deployment of emergency vehicles, helping respond to accidents faster and saving lives in the process. Launched in 2024, Franklin’s Emergency Vehicle Preemption Project Connects emergency vehicles from the city’s fire department to roadside sensors that turn traffic signals green when they’re approaching an intersection. “If somebody’s in cardiac arrest or we have a major fire, seconds really do matter,” said Clay Mackey, the city’s fire department captain.
     

    The new emergency vehicle preemption system was built with the help of Cisco Connected Roadway solutions, including Cisco Edge computing solutions, to securely connect the city’s ITS equipment. The system relies on dynamic routing to accurately preempt signals, keeping emergency crews safe and reducing EMS response time by 30% on average. The city is now looking at integrating the system with the fire department of the nearby City of Brentwood.

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