Long Meadow VFC Awarded Grant to Improve Public Safety on Maryland Roadways
The Maryland Department of Transportation Grant will Install HAAS Alert on All Company Emergency Vehicles
October 28, 2025, Hagerstown, MD — Long Meadow Volunteer Fire Company of Hagerstown, Maryland has secured a grant to install and subscribe to the HAAS Alert service for its entire fleet, including two engines, a ladder truck, a brush truck, a support vehicle (EMS response), and a duty officer vehicle. HAAS Alert is a powerful safety tool that activates a digital alert to advise drivers that an emergency vehicle is operating nearby.
Fire Chief Jason Eckstine stated, "Operations on roadways are among the most hazardous environments for our personnel. It is crucial that we utilize every available tool to alert approaching motorists about fire department activities." Long Meadow VFC units will be outfitted with HAAS Alert transponders that transmit a signal when an emergency vehicle’s emergency lights are active. When a driver is within about 30 seconds of encountering an emergency vehicle equipped with a HAAS Alert transponder, a driver’s phone, navigation apps, and vehicle dashboard (if equipped with connected vehicle technology) displays an alert that notifies the driver that there is an emergency vehicle en route or operating at a scene nearby. HAAS Alert helps reduce collisions, heighten driver awareness of emergency vehicles, and improve driver and emergency responder life safety.
The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office awarded Long Meadow VFC the grant of over $4,000 in federal highway safety funds. The grant covers hardware installation in all Long Meadow VFC emergency vehicles and the service subscription through September 30, 2026. Long Meadow VFC thanks MDOT for their generous grant and @ZeroDeathsMD for supporting local first responders and roadway safety.
About the Long Meadow Volunteer Fire Company
The Long Meadow Volunteer Fire Company, known as Station 27, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The department serves a first-due geographic area of 14.2 square miles with a population of 9,116. This suburban area is comprised of 4,000 households and 350 businesses. Station 27, which has been in operations since 1971, currently has 45 volunteer responders, 15 administrative members, and 8 part-time driver/firefighters. Our members are local citizens from all walks of life who are committed to serving their community.