Intersection Safety for Medic Units and Patients
Every EMS transport carries two risks: the patient’s condition, and the possibility of a serious crash on the way to the hospital. Intersections and congested corridors are where those risks can collide.
The ELiMiNATOR® Emergency Vehicle Preemption system is designed to help medic units move more safely and predictably through key intersections, reducing dangerous conflicts with cross-traffic and shaving critical time off scene-to-door intervals.
Why Intersection Preemption Matters for EMS
EMS units are often moving quickly, with limited room to maneuver and a vehicle full of critical equipment and caregivers. A crash at an intersection does more than damage vehicles—it can seriously injure crews, patients, and members of the public.
Many serious EMS crashes involve a unit entering on red or crossing stopped queues of traffic. Modern vehicles are quieter and more insulated than ever, so even with lights and sirens, some drivers react late or not at all. Intersection preemption gives the signal more time and context to react before your medic arrives.
Hospital corridors and response routes are often the same corridors used by commuters, school traffic, and special events. During peak times, getting a medic unit through those intersections can be unpredictable, even with well-trained crews.
With the ELiMiNATOR®, equipped intersections can see an approaching unit earlier and begin clearing conflicting movements, helping keep your crews moving while protecting pedestrians and cross-traffic.
How the ELiMiNATOR® Supports EMS Response
The system uses GPS and 900 MHz radio to exchange preemption requests between in-vehicle units and intersection cabinet units. Local logic at the intersection applies the rules your traffic engineering team configures:
- Detects equipped units earlier as they approach critical intersections.
- Terminates conflicting phases and clears queues before your unit arrives.
- Supports corridor-based timing for routes to and from the hospital.
- Handles multiple simultaneous requests according to local priority rules.
The ELiMiNATOR® can be deployed in departments with combined fire/EMS operations, separate municipal EMS agencies, or a mix of public and private providers. Priority policies can reflect:
- Different priority levels for primary 911 units vs. transfers.
- Shared corridors used by fire, EMS, and law enforcement.
- Special coverage around hospitals, trauma centers, and critical care facilities.
Priority behavior is configured locally, so agencies retain control over how preemption is granted.
Integrating EVP with EMS Operations and QA/QI
EVP is not a substitute for safe driving policies or driver training, but it can support both. With consistent signal behavior and event logging, agencies can:
- Review how preemption is used on high-risk corridors.
- Incorporate intersection behavior into driver training.
- Support QA/QI, documents performance, and supoorts after-action reviews.
Because the ELiMiNATOR® runs over local 900 MHz radio with logic at the intersection, it doesn’t depend on cloud services or monthly cellular data plans. Agencies keep ownership of their data and can expand deployments corridor by corridor as budgets allow.
Ready to Talk About EVP for Your EMS System?
Whether you run a municipal EMS agency, a combined fire/EMS department, or a private ambulance service, we can walk through how the ELiMiNATOR® would fit your units, routes, and traffic network.