‘Help us shave seconds’ New alert system used in Bracebridge

The Muskoka Paramedic Services have created a system that alerts drivers when an ambulance is approaching with lights and sirens.

If you’re driving through Muskoka this summer and using the popular app Waze, you might get a unique notification telling you paramedics are nearby.

The new alert system will also be sent to Stellantis vehicles that were made since 2018.

It’s in partnership with Muskoka Paramedic Services, ACETECH and HAAS Safety Cloud.

Chief of Muskoka Paramedic Services J.C Gilbert said the alert will be sent and the second emergency lights are initiated.

“It lets them (motorists) know that we are approaching from behind or that they could be approaching us on the scene of a call,” said Gilbert.

If a motorist is using the Waze app on the navigation screen of their vehicle, the alert will automatically pop up.

“This is really going to help our paramedics not need to be so reactive to what could be, potentially erratic behavior in front of them to be able to anticipate their moves better,” said Gilbert. “It will help us shave seconds potentially off of our response times.”

Bracebridge and the surrounding area traditionally see a high volume of visitors in the summer, most of them tourists who use traffic apps to get to their preferred destination.

“Many of those people are going to be using a navigation app, so for those that are using Waze and may not be familiar with the streets, they’ll know that an emergency is occurring around them and will help us make things a lot safer,” said Gilbert.

The entire fleet in Bracebridge has been equipped with the new technology.

Emily Hull, director at ACETECH Global, said there are more than 5,000 vehicles in the province ready to be equipped with the new technology.

“What’s important to know is that there’s no additional infrastructure required in order to activate the system,” said Hull. “We just activate and turn it on the software, and then the system is enabled.”

ACETECH Global is hoping that a success in Bracebridge will lead to the technology going province-wide, including being expanded into other apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps.