The Woodlands Fire Department is seeing a new type of call showing up in its emergency response statistics — one generated not by a person but by a smartphone or smartwatch.
Earlier this month, the department shared a social media post explaining “iPhone crash” alerts, a feature available on newer iPhones and Apple Watches that can automatically contact emergency services if a severe vehicle collision is detected. The post quickly generated questions from residents, prompting firefighters to explain how the technology works and what it means for local emergency response.
According to Woodlands Fire Department public education officer Kristy Hill, the feature itself is not new, but its presence in call statistics has become more noticeable in recent years.
“Crash detection was introduced in 2022, but it was only supported by some newer iPhone models at the time,” Hill said. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen more of these alerts as people upgrade their iPhones and as Apple Watches become more popular.”
Crash detection technology uses sensors built into Apple devices to identify sudden impacts consistent with serious vehicle collisions. When triggered, the device sounds an alarm and displays an alert, giving the user approximately 20 seconds to cancel the call if they are not injured. If there is no response, the device automatically contacts emergency services and shares the user’s location.
While the system is designed to alert responders to serious emergencies, Hill said many of the calls the department receives turn out not to involve an actual collision.
“These alerts are often false alarms,” she said. “The most common situations are when someone drops their phone in the car or leaves their phone on the roof of their vehicle and then drives away.”
Because there is no way to know whether a person is injured or unable to respond, every crash detection alert is treated as a real emergency.
“The department treats these notifications the same way we would any other emergency alert,” Hill said. “Members respond to the location as reported by 911.”
Each alert is tied to a phone number, which allows responders to attempt to verify the situation while en route.
“One of our officers will usually try to call the number on file as we’re responding to see if this was a false alarm,” Hill said.
However, determining whether an alert was accidental can be challenging, particularly if the person who triggered it has already left the area.
“These notifications provide us with the location of the incident, which is where we respond,” Hill said. “Sometimes the driver has left the scene if it was a false alarm, and there is no one there when we arrive.”
If responders cannot confirm that the alert was accidental, a full search is required.
“If we cannot confirm with the driver that the notification was a false alarm, the department does a thorough search of the area to make sure there are no victims in the vicinity,” Hill said.
Despite the challenges, Hill said crash detection technology can be especially valuable in rural areas like the RM of Woodlands, where traffic can be sparse and help may not arrive quickly without an automated alert.
“Yes,” Hill said when asked whether the technology improves response in rural areas. “If you’re in an accident and are unable to call for help, this would alert us to your emergency in real time rather than having to wait for another resident to stumble across you.”
She noted that the municipality covers a large geographic area, with many roads that see little traffic.
“If you have an accident and cannot call for help yourself, you may be alone for a number of minutes or hours,” Hill said. “The real-time notifications from iPhone crash detection mean the department is dispatched when an incident happens, which might make all the difference in a real emergency.”
The department is encouraging residents to familiarize themselves with how crash detection works, particularly how to cancel an alert if it is triggered accidentally.
“There is a cancel function with iPhone crash detection that is activated for 20 seconds after an incident — please use it if it is safe to do so,” Hill said.
She also urged residents to answer follow-up calls from emergency services if they are able.
“One of our officers will try to call the number attached to the notification,” Hill said. “If you accidentally set it off, please answer any unknown numbers that call you directly afterward if it’s safe to do so.”
Hill added that taking a few minutes to review device settings ahead of time can help both users and first responders.
“Familiarize yourself with your iPhone settings and keep your emergency contacts up to date,” she said.
As smartphone safety features continue to evolve, Woodlands Fire Department officials say public awareness is key to ensuring new technology supports — rather than complicates — emergency response.
