SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- On Wednesday, the South Bend Fire Department announced the rollout of new safety technology in the department's rigs.

The SBFD is expanding the HAAS Alert Safety Cloud system and Responder-to-Responder (R2R) alerting technology across all front-line vehicles.

SBFD began installing the HAAS Alert system, which is designed to alert motorists of approaching emergency vehicles through apps like Waze, in response vehicles in 2024. In 2026, the final eight units will be installed, finishing the rollout across front-line rigs.

The R2R system will alert firefighters to the presence of other responding emergency vehicles, particularly around intersections, to reduce the risk of responder-to-responder collisions.