Case Study: Kanawha County School District improves bus fire safety and reduces emergency response times with Zonar Systems (integrated with Kidde AFSS)

Kanawha County School District - Customer Case Study

Kanawha County School District, which operates about 200 buses and transports more than 22,000 students daily, wanted to proactively improve school bus fire safety after NTSB findings showing fires can engulf buses in minutes. Leadership sought an economical, reputable solution that would integrate with their existing Zonar fleet management to prioritize student, driver and public safety while controlling costs.

They deployed Kidde Technologies’ automatic fire sensing and suppression system integrated with Zonar’s V4 TCU and Ground Traffic Control, enabling automatic on‑board suppression plus real‑time GPS location and alerting to dispatch and parents. The integrated system added critical evacuation time, reduced emergency response time, improved fleet safety and operational efficiency, and supports proactive route monitoring and communications.

Kanawha County School District

Brette Fraley

Executive Director Of Transportation