Noida Police has launched Operation FAST, a 24-hour traffic coordination system designed to help ambulances carrying critically ill patients and road accident victims reach hospitals without delays caused by traffic congestion. The initiative was introduced in Gautam Buddh Nagar on Friday and includes a reported trial in which an empty ambulance travelled around 12 km from Chilla Border to Max Hospital and Fortis Hospital in approximately 10 minutes during heavy traffic.
Operation FAST stands for FAST Ambulance Seamless Transition. According to the police, the system will use a rolling traffic clearance mechanism, under which traffic personnel coordinate ahead of an ambulance as it moves along a designated route. The police may also use public address systems to alert road users about an approaching ambulance.
The initiative is intended to reduce delays for patients with serious injuries, head trauma, heavy blood loss or other life-threatening conditions who need to reach hospitals and trauma centres quickly. Police officials said the programme forms part of the Zero Fatality District initiative, which seeks to prevent deaths that can potentially be avoided through faster emergency response and treatment.
Under the system, an ambulance dispatcher, hospital control room or ambulance crew will share the vehicle’s location, destination and route with a dedicated control room. Traffic personnel positioned along the route will then coordinate with one another to clear junctions in advance, regulate traffic moving in the opposite direction and manage traffic signals when necessary.
The police said the network includes major government and private hospitals in the district, ambulance service providers and emergency dispatch centres. Routes connecting key hospitals have also been identified. A dedicated helpline, 9218981716, has been issued for ambulance operators, hospital control rooms and ambulance staff to provide information and coordinate movement.
An Ambulance Traffic Facilitation Cell is also being created at the traffic police control room to coordinate the movement of emergency vehicles. The initiative has been launched under the guidance of Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Lakshmi Singh, while DCP (Headquarters) Shavya Goyal conducted the research for the system.
Following the trial, a police official said it demonstrated that active traffic coordination could substantially reduce an ambulance’s travel time even during heavy congestion. Police have asked residents to give way to ambulances, avoid blocking junctions and cooperate with traffic personnel during emergencies. The stated objective is to ensure that critically ill patients and people injured in road crashes do not lose access to life-saving treatment because of traffic jams.
