TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Fire Department (TFD) is rolling out new software to better protect first responders who are working roadside crashes.
Over the past two years, the Tulsa Fire Department says they’ve had many of their trucks and vehicles hit while working accidents on the sides of roads and highways.
Most recently, two firefighters narrowly escaped death when their truck was hit while they worked a crash on Highway 75 in January.
In an effort to reduce those types of incidents, TFD has installed Haas Safety Cloud System software on their entire fleet of about 90 vehicles.
Tulsa Fire Chief Michael Baker says the software sends a notification to drivers through their smartphone’s navigation app or through some vehicles’ dashboards.
“[The notifications] are delivered through two navigation systems available on your phone, Apple Maps and Waze. Additionally, it’s available on the in-car navigation systems on Chrysler, Jeep, and Fiat products,” Baker told us.
Baker says one of their engines recently suffered damage which has left the truck inoperable, and the bill to fix it is nearing $1 million with a 36 to 42-month manufacturing window.
“Our fire apparatuses are very expensive and our firefighters are priceless,” Baker said.
TFD is again reminding all drivers to slow down and change lanes when they see any first responder or road crew working on the sides of highways and roads.