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The Benefits of Traffic Incident Management Committees
IAFC On Scene: November 15, 2009 Fire departments and emergency medical agencies are responding to an ever-increasing number of roadway incidents, including vehicle accidents, medical emergencies, vehicle fires and hazardous-material events. As a result, emergency services personnel have implemented a number of proactive strategies for responding to all types of roadway incidents with special procedures for especially challenging environments like limited-access high-speed highways, HOV lanes, bridges, tunnels and toll plazas. These strategies include special apparatus assignments for certain highways, defensive apparatus positioning and blocking, traffic safety vests and high-visibility graphics on the back of fire apparatus. There’s one more strategy the fire and emergency service should more fully embrace: traffic-incident management (TIM) committees. TIM committees are the means to preplan, train and coordinate the resources of a number of different agencies to respond to and clear traffic incidents as quickly as possible while protecting the safety of on-scene responders and the traveling public. TIM procedures help to protect responders and reduce the effect of incidents on traffic flow and congestion. TIM committees support the objectives of the National Unified Goal, which prioritize responder safety and safe, quick clearance of roadway incidents. TIM committees usually consist of representatives from each of the core agencies that respond to roadway incidents, including
The committees are usually organized on a regional basis and most often are coordinated by state or local transportation agencies. Meeting frequency varies, but quarterly sessions are most common. During times that regions are preparing for upcoming special events or large roadway construction projects, the TIM committee might meet monthly or even more frequently to work out solutions and procedures for traffic incidents that have the potential to disrupt thousands of motorists and endanger emergency responders. In order for the TIM committees to be effective, all responding agencies need to be represented regularly by the same experienced, supervisory personnel. The fire department representative should be a safety, training, company or chief officer with a full understanding and practical knowledge of the department’s apparatus, resources, staffing and standard operating procedures for roadway-incident responses. TIM committees can involve a number of activities, including
The committee should elect a chairperson and arrange to document activity, communicate frequently with member agencies and coordinate regular meetings. One of the first goals of a TIM committee should be to develop regional multi-agency traffic-incident response procedures. Each agency involved should share and compare standard operating procedures with the other response agencies and work out any potential conflicts so all incident responders are using the same strategies and tactics. Participating agencies develop a better understanding of the resources, staffing, response times and protocols for the other responders. Certain agencies might have different response times and staffing due to other priorities (such as snow fighting, construction projects or other calls for service) or the actual time of an incident (for example, regular business hours versus O-dark-thirty on a weekend morning). All agencies should use the same incident command system in accordance with National Incident Management System protocols. Although this might be a done deal for public-safety agencies, many towing and recovery firms and even some transportation agencies are still working to get all their personnel trained. This presents an opportunity for public-safety personnel to help other agencies with their training needs. Communication at highway incidents is critical during the initial response and the mitigation phase of the operation. It’s important for all responders to use the same terminology for radio and face-to-face communications. Lane designations are an excellent example where terminology can be standardized. Does the fire department use designations like left lane, left center, right center, right lane and right shoulder while the law enforcement personnel on scene are using lane numbers like lane 1, lane 2, lane 3, etc.? Is the “fast lane” known as lane 1 or is the “slow lane” considered lane 1 in your region? There’s no national standard for lane designation terminology and this is a subject where there are often different terms used to identify lanes of limited-access, high-speed highways, which can lead to confusion and miscommunication during emergency responses. Once traffic-incident response procedures are coordinated and documented, they should be used as the basis for training all responders. The procedures should address the type and quantity of emergency vehicles dispatched initially to incidents, preferred apparatus positioning and blocking procedures, temporary traffic controls, responder safety strategies and quick clearance tactics. While many agencies train their own personnel, there’s a need for more multi-agency training. Tabletop exercises offer an excellent platform for multi-agency training sessions both for preplanning and as post-incident reviews. Develop scenarios for teams of responders to address in a tabletop setting using established procedures. Challenge them with unexpected problems, such as a vehicle striking a blocking apparatus, equipment failures or inclement weather, during preplan sessions and challenge them with developing solutions to any problems encountered during post-incident reviews. Post-incident reviews should be done as soon as possible after an incident occurs. While agencies will often review incidents where there are significant operational problems, it’s less common for agencies to review incidents that were handled smoothly. For roadway incidents, it’s important to review smooth operations to reinforce the benefits of following procedures and coordination and collaboration with other agencies. Positive reinforcement goes a long way for highway-incident safety and quick clearance. Make good use of traffic-camera video where available for reviews and collaborate with other agencies to develop solutions to any identified problems. Ongoing multi-agency communications will contribute significantly to response coordination and efficiency and responder safety. TIM committees play a critical role in preparing agencies for special events and road-construction projects in the region. Increased traffic due to special events or road construction means more congestion and usually more traffic incidents with unique challenges for responders. Limited access to incidents, heavy backlogs and frustrated motorists can challenge even the most seasoned responders. TIM committees can serve as a forum for developing plans for quick response to various types of incidents and arranging for strategically placed resources, quick clearance of disabled vehicles and preplanned detours if needed. It’s important for fire departments to participate fully in these preparations to make sure operational needs are considered. Access to water supplies, emergency turnarounds, pull-offs and exits and any detours that can affect emergency responses should be considered and discussed. It may be necessary to change normal response procedures for some events or construction projects. This is also the time to request and provide for quicker response from towing and transportation agencies and safety service patrols. In some cases, units might be assigned to staging areas for special events and large construction projects to help with traffic incidents quickly. Transportation agencies have used the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for years as their guide for the design and operation of roads and highways. In 2003, the MUTCD added chapter 6-I, which specifically addresses temporary traffic-control measures for TIM areas. Chapter 6-I provides guidance for all agencies responding to traffic incidents, including fire departments and other public-safety agencies. Transportation agencies can help public-safety responders understand and implement procedures that coincide with MUTCD guidelines. Additionally, MUTCD is undergoing revision right now and changes are expected by the end of this year. It’s expected that chapter 6-I will be expanded and will include additional guidelines not previously found in the document. TIM committees will serve as the perfect forum for all agencies to review and discuss MUTCD revisions and implement any changes needed in local operations for compliance. The TIM committees can also help all members to stay current with other rules, regulations and standards as they develop or change. Contact your state or local transportation agency to determine if there is already a TIM committee established and meeting in your region. If there is, assign department personnel to attend the meetings regularly to represent fire and emergency medical services. If a TIM committee doesn’t currently exist in your region, consider taking a leadership role in bringing all the appropriate agencies together. Invite other agencies to join you in forming a regional team and begin meeting on a regular basis. An excellent resource for fire officers to stay current about all aspects of roadway-incident safety is the Emergency Responder Safety Institute website. The Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Transportation Operations Team's website is also full of related resources. Most fire departments have seen an increase in the number of emergency calls they handle involving roadway incidents. The safety of responders is threatened every time personnel work near traffic. The chance of a secondary crash is high and fire departments need to take proactive steps to protect their personnel, the victims of the initial incident and any other motorists in the vicinity. TIM committees serve a vital role in helping to prepare, train and organize our responders to provide safe and efficient emergency operations in order to mitigate incidents and resume normal traffic flow as quickly as possible. Jack Sullivan, CSP, CFPS, is a career safety consultant and a retired fire department safety officer, and he serves as the director of training for the Emergency Responder Safety Institute. He represents the IAFC’s Safety, Health & Survival Section on the National Traffic Incident Management Coalition, where he co-chairs the National Unified Goal - Practices and Procedures Work Group and serves as the NTIMC liaison for the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. |
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