For first responders, there can be drawbacks to using the same apps and following the same routes as everyone else. The apps may not take into account specific factors that can delay response time, like weather events, traffic accidents, or the size and weight of their vehicles. They also do not take into account local roadway or speed limit rules for emergency vehicles. When every second counts getting to an emergency scene, good enough just won’t cut it. That’s why QuickRoute was developed.
Like commercially-available apps, QuickRoute uses GPS and routing data to provide turn-by-turn directions, and it routes around hazards along the way, such as a flooded road, an accident, or downed power lines. But then the QuickRoute app takes navigation to the next level, leveraging additional data streams that civilian commuters aren’t privy to that will offer responders greater flexibility when time is of the essence.
QuickRoute takes into account the type of vehicle being driven—whether a fire truck, or ambulances, police cruisers, incident command units, even standard sedans—as well agency roadway protocols, specs like turn radius or bridge and tunnel clearance, and their unique ability to use lights and sirens to clear paths and avoid signals. Other data sources, including weather patterns, traffic and transit schedules, and local jurisdiction rules (i.e., right-of-way, private access roads, ability to exceed posted speed limits, highway exiting) are also factored in, giving responders the quickest and safest route to the scene.