This article originally appeared in KGW* news on October 7, 2025 by Libby Dowsett.
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue has implemented the HAAS Alert system on 18 vehicles and plans to expand it to all of its frontline vehicles by the end of 2026.
TUALATIN, Oregon — Within minutes of firefighters turning on their flashing lights, a transmitter on their dashboard alerts nearby drivers to watch out — they’re coming through.
As Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue raced to a two-alarm house fire in Tualatin on Monday night, firefighters said many of their engines were already sending alerts to drivers, warning them that fire crews were coming up behind them.
“We’re not driving with our hair on fire trying to get to a scene,” said TVF&R engineer Lee Trotter. “We’re going to get there safely.”
The alert system, called HAAS Alert Safety Cloud, uses a small device installed in emergency vehicles to communicate with nearby cars.
“It’s a small device put in apparatus; sometimes, vehicles come with the device,” said Chief Deric Weiss of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.
Drivers receive alerts directly on their in-dash display or through navigation apps, such as Google Maps and Waze.
“When I put on the emergency lights, it starts to activate, so anything in front of us will know which way we’re going, whether we’re taking the right or the left,” Trotter said.
HAAS Alert says the technology helps reduce crashes between emergency vehicles and other drivers. A 2013 University of Michigan study found it can cut the likelihood of a collision by up to 90%.
“So, when the lights are on, we know exactly what’s happening, and we know it’s coming from a real emergency,” said firefighter Marcel.
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue has 18 vehicles equipped with the system so far, with plans to add the technology to all frontline rigs by the end of next year.
The alert system is also being adopted by tow and construction companies.
“It’s pretty standard across multiple brands,” Marcel said. “Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Ram Trucks — all of those since 2018 come with this feature standard.”
Fire crews say the new system means no more excuses for drivers who fail to yield to emergency vehicles.
“Thirty-plus years in fire service I can tell you, you can’t tell what people are going to do, you can’t predict what they’ll do, so you have to be safe,” Trotter said.
The next step for the technology is expanding to more automakers and eventually implementing car-to-car communication to warn drivers about what’s ahead.