Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Purchase Emergency Vehicle Preemption Kits for Fire Department Response Vehicles from AM Signal, LLC in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $102,535.25. (Public Works 601)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (City) has equipped signalized intersections in its commercial corridors with Transit Signal Priority (TSP) technology. This system allows AC Transit buses to communicate with traffic signals, which then makes minor timing adjustments to help buses stay on schedule without significantly disrupting overall traffic flow.
The same Opticom equipment used for TSP also supports Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP), which allows fire engines and ambulances to request a green signal when approaching the intersection. This reduces response delays and lowers the risk of collisions during emergency responses.
To activate EVP, the Alameda Fire Department (Fire Department) response vehicles must be equipped with in-vehicle transmitter kits. Staff recommends authorizing the purchase of EVP kits from AM Signal, LLC (AM Signal) in an amount not-to-exceed $102,535.25. Pricing is available through Miovision Technologies US, LLC (Miovision) Sourcewell Contract 030425-MIO, a cooperative purchasing agreement established through a competitive procurement process in compliance with state law. Miovision acquired Opticom in 2023, and AM Signal is the authorized dealer for Opticom equipment under this Sourcewell contract.
This purchase will enable the Fire Department to fully utilize EVP at intersections, leveraging the City's existing traffic signal infrastructure and maximizing the benefits of its prior investment in TSP technology.
BACKGROUND
In the early 2000s, AC Transit began deploying Opticom's intelligent traffic signal system to implement TSP on several corridors. TSP improves transit reliability by allowing approaching buses to comm...
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