The city of Detroit has approved a three-year contract to deploy HAAS Alert Safety Cloud across all Detroit Fire Department apparatus and select Detroit Police Department vehicles.

Pilot Results Led to Expansion

The decision follows a 10-month pilot program involving 10 fire apparatus. During the trial, the system sent more than 108,000 alerts to nearby drivers, warning them of approaching emergency vehicles. Police piloted the system on nine patrol vehicles and plan to expand coverage across every precinct.

How the Technology Works

The Safety Cloud platform issues real-time alerts when emergency lights are activated, notifying drivers through Waze, Apple Maps, Stellantis vehicles (2018 and newer), and Volkswagen vehicles (2024 and newer). For residents whose vehicles are not equipped with this feature, the city recommends using the free Waze or Apple Maps apps to receive notifications.

The system also includes Responder-to-Responder (R2R) functionality, designed to reduce the risk of collisions between emergency vehicles responding to the same incident.

Citywide Rollout

Installations across Detroit Fire and Police fleets will begin in the coming months. Officials said the technology is expected to improve safety for both residents and first responders while reducing costs associated with collision damage.

HAAS Alert, headquartered in Chicago, opened a Detroit office at Newlab at Michigan Central in 2024 and has worked with city departments to tailor Safety Cloud for local use.