Innis approves OptiCom signal-preemption system using QIP funds to speed emergency response

The Innis City Commission on May 19 approved a proposal to use Quality Incentive Payment (QIP) revenues to buy and install a GPS-based OptiCom signal preemption system for emergency vehicles.

Chief Evans, who presented the plan, said the system would be installed on three fire apparatus and Allegiance EMS units assigned to Innis and on intersections across the city and that it is designed to reduce response times and intersection collisions. “If we can save 60 or 80 seconds, that can make the difference between living and the alternative,” Chief Evans said.

The project is a one-time capital purchase with an estimated cost of $385,079; staff included a not-to-exceed budget of $400,000 in the packet to allow modest contingencies. The technology proposed is GPS-based preemption rather than the older line-of-sight infrared emitters; the GPS approach communicates between a vehicle-mounted unit and an intersection device, enabling preemption around corners and earlier clearing of congested intersections.

Bobby Hall, a vendor representative with Moovision (which now includes OptiCom technology), told the commission the platform supports both emergency and transit use and can be programmed for time-limited transit priority. “With an emergency vehicle, we force the light to turn green. With a school bus or transit vehicle, we can hold the light green a little longer,” Hall said.

Commissioners discussed scope and funding. Staff noted that most of Innis’s 27 signalized intersections are under TxDOT jurisdiction; using TxDOT-controlled intersections will require a memorandum of understanding with that agency. Staff projected equipment ordering and installation could be completed in roughly three to four months after approval, with equipment ordered in about 30 days and installation taking six to eight weeks.

The commission approved two linked items: a resolution authorizing the use of QIP funds for the project and the purchase/installation agreement for the OptiCom system. Commissioners said they supported later evaluation for police-equipment inclusion if funding allowed; Chief Evans and staff said police vehicles could be added after legal review and budget review.

The project advances public-safety objectives by targeting intersection-related delays and collisions and by prioritizing first-responder movement during high-traffic periods and major downtown construction periods that staff said are anticipated in the city’s near-term plans. Implementation requires coordination with TxDOT for state-owned signals, execution of any required MOUs, and vendor procurement and installation steps.