Fire Department Adopts Safety Feature to Alert Drivers of Emergencies

Drivers will receive alerts through GPS apps, letting them know they are either approaching an emergency scene or first responders are heading in their direction and they need to pull over. It’s aiming to reduce the risk of collisions and speed up the response time for firefighters.

“We’re in the road frequently and routinely every day, we’re responding to emergencies all over the county, so we want to make sure we’re being as proactive as possible and create as safe of an environment as we can,” said Chief Ryan Eubanks, fire chief at South Spartanburg Fire District.

The fire district said right now, all Fiat Chrysler vehicles, like Jeep, Dodge, and RAM, as well as GPS apps like Waze or What3Words, are updated with the safety feature. By 2025, we’re told all vehicles being manufactured are expected to have the tool.

“A lot of times we’re working in the roadways and I know it can be confusing but we want to provide a safe environment for the firefighters and the people around us,” said Eubanks.

The only other agency in the county using this tool is the city of Spartanburg’s fire department. It’s the success they have had with it that helped the South Spartanburg team feel confident in using the tool themselves.