At Aurora, we are committed to building trust with first responders through transparency and strong relationships. As we expand driverless operations, we will continue to share information about our work and find new opportunities to partner with these important community leaders.

Education and training

When working with first responders, it is important to ensure they understand how Aurora’s self-driving trucks work and situations in which they could interact with these trucks on the road. Aurora has dedicated First Responder Interaction team members who are exclusively responsible for collaboration with law enforcement and emergency personnel, which includes conducting trainings to help them understand our products and services. 

As part of our commitment to open, transparent coordination with first responders, Aurora has prepared a Public Safety Official and First Responder Interaction Plan. This can be accessed via the button below.

First responder engagement

Working with first responders isn’t just about training agencies in areas where Aurora currently operates, it also includes planning for interactions in regions where we’ll deploy our self-driving trucks in the future. 

As part of this proactive engagement, Aurora has met with more than 50 law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services departments nationwide in a variety of settings. These engagements include conference presentations, committee meetings, virtual and in-person meetings, and tours of our facilities. The content is focused on education – teaching these critical partners about our product, how we approach safety, and best practices for interacting with self-driving trucks on the road. 

Further, we have collaborated directly with law enforcement agencies to practice pullover maneuvers and other road tests. This both helps first responders understand processes for working with Aurora trucks and aids our team in refining our technology. We have conducted more than 10 data collection events, including with the Frisco Police and Fire Departments in Texas as well as the Ohio State Highway Patrol. These have included over 800 first responder road tests where direct feedback from law enforcement has influenced autonomous truck product design and deployment.

Partnering with first responders

Being a good partner to first responders nationwide means participating in the organizations they use to plan for the future of law enforcement and emergency response. The Aurora team holds positions on the following committees:

• Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, Law Enforcement Advisory Council

• American Trucking Associations, Law Enforcement Advisory Board

• Commercial Vehicle Safety Administration, Enforcement and Industry Modernization Committee

• Automated Vehicle Responder Solutions Group, Advisory Board

• SAE, Infrastructure Needs Related to Automated Driving Task Force and Smart Trailer Task Force

Further, Aurora’s First Responder Interaction team member is a member of the following organizations:

• International Association of Police Chiefs

• International Association of Fire Chiefs

• National Sheriffs’ Association

• State fire and police associations in several states, including in Texas