CHARLTON, Mass. — Fire Chief Barton told the Board of Selectmen on Feb. 11 that the department has purchased five Hoss Alert transponders to automatically broadcast warnings to motorists when emergency lights are activated.

The chief said the devices will be installed in three ambulances and the two primary engines most often dispatched to Massachusetts Turnpike and other highway incidents. "When our emergency lights are activated, it sends out a signal… that there's an emergency vehicle operating up ahead," Barton said, describing alerts that appear in navigation apps such as Waze and on some vehicle displays.

The department bought five transponders for immediate deployment as a pilot rather than equipping the entire fleet. Barton said a quoted subscription cost to cover every town vehicle was about $600 per vehicle, which he estimated would total roughly $16,000 annually; that estimate was presented by the chief as a comparison figure for full-fleet coverage, not a contract the town has signed. Barton said the department will track how many devices and apps actually receive alerts during the pilot and may add units later if data show a need.

Barton said the cost of the pilot will be offset by reimbursement the department receives for providing services on the Turnpike. He also noted the town previously received a grant to cover traffic-safety equipment and that those funds will help pay for cones and absorbent materials used on highway incidents. "We're just gonna use that money that we receive from them to offset the cost of this," Barton said.

Board members expressed support for the pilot. One selectman suggested considering a modest budget expansion or FinCom review to fund additional units if the pilot proves effective; the board did not take a formal vote on funding during the Feb. 11 meeting.

The chief told the board Hoss Alert has been in use about eight years and that the department has roughly 250 runs a year related to Turnpike incidents, a number he described as likely conservative. He said the system can also alert drivers who have Waze running in the background even if another app is in the foreground, and on some vehicles it produces a brief audible tone and mutes audio momentarily to draw attention to the display.

The department will return data from the pilot for future budget or policy decisions.