In an emergency—whether a fire, car crash, or other crisis—every second matters. Fire engines and rescue vehicles must reach the scene quickly and safely, and efficient traffic travel is critical to saving lives.
Hillsborough County is the largest county in land area and population in the Tampa Bay region of Florida. As of 2023, it was home to approximately 1.536 million residents. With such a large area to cover and so many people to protect, the County’s 45 Fire and Rescue Stations play a vital role in community safety.
Meeting the Needs of a Growing Community
Heavy Traffic poses a serious challenge. Emergency vehicles often struggled to navigate congestion, delaying critical care. Of the county’s 600 traffic signals, about 200 were connected to existing emergency preemption systems—but those systems were outdated and limited in functionality. They didn’t provide drivers with real-time alerts about approaching emergency vehicles or direction of travel. Recognizing the need for improvement, Hillsborough County began exploring solutions in March 2020. With today’s connected vehicle technology, emergency vehicles can now broadcast safety messages to alert nearby drivers of their presence and direction—enabling a faster, safer response.
Intersection pictured above is part of the Hillsborough County Smart Traffic Network (STN) program to improve communications and pair that with new technology like the addition of Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) and other cabinet modifications.
Innovative Thinking, Practical Solutions
Upgrading more than 600 intersections on an accelerated timeline was a daunting task—both logistically and financially. The County lacked the resources to purchase the equipment outright or maintain it long-term. Steve Garbe proposed a creative alternative: lease the necessary technology as part of a seven-year contract with an optional three-year extension. This model not only made the project financially viable but also allowed for ongoing updates, such as integration of 5G connectivity, throughout the system’s life. A pilot program tested the solution at 13 intersections using 20 emergency vehicles to validate the approach. After the successful trial, a full implementation plan was launched. The County is now on track to complete upgrades at the remaining 580 intersections by the end of 2025.
Steve Garbe and William Johnson in the Hillsborough County Traffic Management Control Center monitoring emergency response to an incident.
Green Means Go
As a sub to our strategic partner Iteris, Alliant continues to support Hillsborough County with traffic operations, smart mobility solutions, and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Our employee-owners are working alongside the County’s Traffic Management Center on multiple initiatives. In addition to the emergency vehicle preemption project, the County is upgrading 120 signals with Advanced Traffic Controllers (ATCs) and Connected Vehicle Roadside Units (RSUs).
Alliant has played a key role in developing the Request for Proposal, supporting acceptance testing, and documenting system engineering requirements for the Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) software upgrades. Alongside these efforts, we are also assisting with federal grant applications, including a collaborative effort to improve school bus safety in the county to optimize signal operations and continue building a safter, smarter transportation network for all.
Learn more about the impact this project had on the community in this video produced by Hillsborough County.