White County is the first sheriff’s office in the state to launch a new mobile app designed to alert residents when emergency vehicles are operating nearby to improve public roadway safety.
The new digital siren app sends real-time alerts to users’ phones when a White County emergency vehicle is running emergency traffic in their area, including during pursuits or when responding to calls. White County Sheriff Steve Page said the system is intended to notify people who may be close to an emergency.
“This is to notify the citizens if they’re within a mile of an emergency vehicle running what we call thirty-three traffic, emergency traffic,” Page said.
According to Page, the app is triggered any time an officer activates emergency lights and sirens, sending a hands-free audio alert to nearby users, warning them to use caution. Page said alerts are delivered automatically through the app and do not require users to interact with their phones, keeping drivers in compliance with Tennessee’s hands-free law.
“You don’t have to pick it up, you don’t have to answer it,” Page said. “It will start talking and telling you what’s going on within a mile of where you’re at.”
The sheriff said the technology is especially helpful for drivers who may not hear sirens, including those in larger vehicles or those with loud radios or headsets. Page said the primary goal of the app is to improve safety for both citizens and first responders.
“This is all about safety,” Page said. “It’s about us doing our very best to make the citizens aware of what’s going on in the county.”
According to Page, White County is the first county in Tennessee to implement this type of technology, after learning it was available and choosing to move forward quickly.
“We were just paying attention, and we found out that we could do this,” Page said. “I absolutely said, ‘That’s a good idea. Let’s get on this.’”
Page said the app was developed over a couple of months and funded through donations from community members who wanted to support the safety initiative. The app is available on most smartphones, and Page encourages residents to download it and use it as another layer of awareness on the road.
“The biggest thing is to pay attention,” Page said. “Be aware of your surroundings.”
Page said the app is another step forward in using technology to help keep White County residents and emergency responders safe.