Partnership between Whelen and GTT expands access to essential technology.
First responders will soon have a new way to deploy industry-leading Opticom™ Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) technology, helping them to save lives and provide better outcomes to the communities they serve.
Police, fire and EMS vehicles that use the new Whelen Cloud Platform can soon enable cloud-based, centralized Opticom™ EVP, thanks to a partnership between Whelen Engineering and Global Traffic Technologies, LLC (GTT), the global market leader in traffic signal priority control systems.
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The Whelen Cloud Platform is a cloud-based, vehicle communication platform that sends and receives data through cellular networks. First responders can manage vehicle configurations and firmware updates over-the-air, create faster response times with real-time information to pinpoint vehicle locations, and easily organize their fleets and Whelen product information, such as control systems.
Opticom EVP will function as an application on the platform, allowing emergency vehicles to request green lights as they respond to high-priority incidents. Similar centralized Opticom deployments have been proven in a growing number of North American communities. Software-based solutions can help lower costs, and simplify maintenance and upgrades.
“Our most innovative customers are looking for solutions that don’t involve duplicative hardware,” GTT’s senior vice president of sales and marketing Terry Griffith said. “Instead, we’re making sure agencies get the most advanced and trusted preemption solution in the most financially responsible manner possible. This partnership and technologies enable an agency to fully leverage previous investments by using its existing infrastructure.”
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“We’re excited to be working with the industry leader in preemptive technology. This partnership will continue to enhance first responder safety, while paving the way for future possibilities and innovations,” Whelen Engineering’s vice president of sales Greg Scott said. “This technology further positions us ahead of our competitors as we continue to lead the market into the next generation of officer safety.”
Whelen Cloud Platform-equipped vehicles are now capable of placing a request for preemption without additional hardware in a way that is compliant with the municipality’s policies for responses. The platform features a live-view map with a web-based interface, allowing users to see their vehicles and whether they are responding. GPS data from the vehicle will pass on information from Whelen’s Vehicle Safety Gateway (VSG) to GTT’s Opticom cloud-based software. This is the complete building block for a centralized architecture on a vehicle.
Already the market leader in emergency vehicle lighting, this new cloud platform from Whelen is the first that also provides centralized preemption, something no other lighting and control system manufacturer can offer.
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“It makes a lot of sense for the market leaders in lightbars and preemption technology to partner on this innovative product,” Griffith said. “Both are essential technologies that help reduce response times, protect first responders and keep the public safe during emergency responses.”
The partnership was unveiled Aug. 16, 2021, at the Police Fleet Expo in Richmond, V.A. A number of attendees were able to see the technology in action during a live Ride-and-Drive event. Users could preempt a traffic signal while testing out other Whelen products on the demo track.
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