Strong First Responder Engagement is in the DNA of the autonomous vehicle industry

By Jeff Farrah, CEO, Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association

I’ve often said that the autonomous vehicle industry is an “engagement first” industry. We show up, we partner, we learn, and we grow. This ethos is how the industry approaches its relationship with law enforcement and first responders. Members of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA) continuously engage with our nation’s first responders to ensure autonomous vehicles are safely integrated into American communities.

This isn’t an afterthought. Before a single driverless vehicle carries a passenger or a package, AVIA members are already in the room with police officers, firefighters, and EMTs explaining how autonomous technology works and, most importantly, listening to what these professionals need to do their jobs safely. The autonomous vehicle industry believes strongly that trust has to be earned, and we are working to earn it every single day.

In my capacity leading AVIA, I have the privilege of working closely with many first responders across the country. I have some in my family as well. One persistent theme that emerges from the first responder community is that they are sick and tired of the status quo of 40,000 deaths each year on our roads due to reckless behavior like impaired and distracted driving. First responders are often the first people to see the human toll of vehicle crashes and they are desperate for a better way. I have heard first-hand from many first responders that they see incredible potential in autonomous driving to address roadway fatalities and serious injuries. But we cannot bring autonomous technology to the public without our first responder partners.

A Sequence Built on Engagement, Not an Afterthought

Within AVIA’s membership are diverse companies that are approaching autonomous deployment in a variety of ways. That said, there are some consistent themes I’ve seen in the ways AV companies approach their dialogue with first responders, including:

• Meet People Where They Are. Before a vehicle ever operates on public roads, company leadership meets individually with police officers, fire fighters, and EMS leadership to introduce the company and walk through how the technology works. For many first responders, these engagements are the first time they’ve had an opportunity to ask questions and share their perspective on autonomous vehicles. This initial phase of engagement usually happens several months or years in advance of an AV being on the jurisdiction’s roads and often comes before the company begins mapping the area in preparation for autonomous operations.
• Lean in Leading Up to Deployment. Before an AV deploys, it has to learn the streets and roads it will operate on in extraordinary detail, and that mapping phase is another point where our companies stay in close contact with local first responders. Autonomous vehicle developers don’t want first responders to be surprised when they see test vehicles on the roads. Therefore, AV companies remain in close touch with first responders as they drive roads and highways manually to collect data and learn about lane markings and other physical details.
• Hands-On & On Demand Training. As autonomous deployment approaches, companies offer training resources so first responders get first-hand experience with the vehicles, including ride-alongs and depot visits. Many AV developers have built their hands-on training into standing programs that are routinely training first responders on AV interactions. Many autonomous vehicle companies employ former law enforcement and first responders to conduct these trainings as they are best equipped to anticipate needs and serve as a resource. On demand training is also available from some developers to expand the reach of the training.‍
• Collaboration on Real World Deployment. Companies often engage directly with local law enforcement to demonstrate specific vehicle behaviors and receive feedback. For example, in Nevada, one AV developer demonstrated to local law enforcement how its vehicles detect and yield to emergency vehicles under real conditions before scaling operations.
• Ongoing Feedback Loop. Once AVs are deployed in an area, the engagement continues. Companies provide easy to use ways for first responders to be in touch with a company in the event of an issue, such as a QR code on the side of a vehicle or a toll free number to reach company personnel directly. Companies also routinely incorporate feedback from first responders into their operations. For example, also in Nevada, one AV company collected feedback from first responders on road conditions and visibility and used it to add features like exterior speakers that communicate a vehicle's autonomy status to an approaching officer or firefighter, an update that came directly out of this feedback loop rather than from the drawing board alone.

The above points demonstrate the industry’s commitment to deep engagement and how our work is informed by first responders. 

The Law Enforcement and First Responder Council

To further industry cooperation with first responders, AVIA has established our Law Enforcement and First Responder Council. This critically important council was one of many announcements AVIA made in establishing our TRUST Principles, the public framework for how the AV industry engages with government, communities, and the public. 

The AVIA Law Enforcement and First Responder Council is a forum that brings together police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and AV industry representatives, providing first responders with a direct channel into the industry to discuss areas of cooperation and dialogue. Members share what they are seeing in the field and discuss how the industry can be a strong partner to first responders nationwide. That input shapes training, technical standards, and the interaction protocols that companies build into daily operations.

One of the public sector members of the Council is Reda Riddle-Bigler, the Assistant Chief of the Phoenix Fire Department. Her work in Phoenix was featured in this year’s State of AV report, where she said the Council is “bridging the gap between autonomous vehicle developers and the first responder community by bringing the stakeholders together to address current challenges and discuss emerging developments."

First Responders and State Law

Beyond industry initiatives, state policymakers have an important role to play in first responder engagement with AV companies. For many years, AVIA has strongly supported state legislation requiring AV operators to create a First Responder Interaction Plan (FRIP) before operating a vehicle on public roads without a human driver. At minimum, these plans must explain how to reach a company representative while the vehicle is operating, how to safely remove or tow the vehicle from the roadway, how an officer or firefighter can tell whether the vehicle is in autonomous mode, and any additional information about hazardous conditions the manufacturer believes responders should know.

Today, 26 states have enacted AV deployment statutes, and many of them include some version of this requirement alongside many other requirements for deploying AVs on a given state's roads. AVIA will continue to advocate for requiring a FRIP when a state authorizes AVs on its roads.

Looking ahead

Going forward, the AV industry will continue these practices as the technology deploys in new parts of the country. Our industry will take learnings from ongoing deployments that will benefit first responders and the public in the next phase of deployments. We will continue to listen to both what’s working and what needs to be improved from a first responder perspective. Engagement is part of our DNA—yesterday, today, and tomorrow.