Regional Traffic Incident Management Programs

Introduction -- Information sharing for traffic incident management -- Implications and challenges -- Conclusions and recommendations -- References -- Appendixes.

This comprehensive guide provides the training materials for Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responders four (4) hour course with three main goals including Responder safety; Safe, quick clearance; and Prompt, reliable, interoperable communications This Train-the Trainer- Guide is aimed at all responder disciplines including law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services (EMS), towing operators and recovery units, highway/transportation agencies at the Federal and State levels, and Communication centers to include 9-1-1 and transportation management centers (TMCs). Each lesson includes an objective plus offers black and white photos to easily identify with the program lessons that follow to address the incidents as a method to train the students. Emergency management personnel, fire and rescue teams, and law enforcement may be interested in this guide as a desk reference. Additionally, students hoping to become certified within these employment areas may want to familiarize their knowledge with these vital lessons prior to beginning on-the-job duties. Other related products that may be of interest include: Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Transportation, Pt. 572-999, Revised as of October 1, 2015 can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/869-082-00224-7?ctid=199 Traffic Incident Management in Hazardous Materials Spills in Incident Clearance can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/050-001-00345-7?ctid=199 Public Roads bi-monthly print magazine subscription can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/750-005-00000-4?ctid=

Intended to assist agencies responsible for incident management activities on public roadways to improve their programs and operations.Organized into three major sections: Introduction to incident management; organizing, planning, designing and implementing an incident management program; operational and technical approaches to improving the incident management process.

The purpose of this document is to assist organizations and their leaders in implementing and sustaining regional traffic incident management programs, both by examining some successful models, and by considering some of the lessons learned by early implementers. There is some form of incident management activity in most major and many mid-sized urban areas. Typically this involves each agency carrying out its own responsibilities, with primarily working-level and middle-management administrative teams to provide coordination with the other agencies who are also involved in their own aspects of managing incidents. Such a situation not only achieves less than the full potential benefit, but also leaves open many risks for failure within individual agencies or on a broader scale. The objective of this document is to present a framework for developing what is missing in almost every urban area—a formal multiagency traffic incident management program, with endorsement by, participation from, and coordination by senior agency management, and which includes all of the participating agencies. Formalizing the incident management effort—turning it into an incident management program—involves such steps as developing a written and endorsed strategy and a plan to implement the strategy; identifying and building support from a full complement of stakeholders and with the public; gaining support and ongoing participation in program direction from agency senior executives; documenting the respective roles and responsibilities of participants; establishing program goals and objectives and evaluating performance on these; establishing incident management as a major mission within and between the participating agencies; and “mainstreaming” of funding for incident management into the traditional transportation planning process.

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 318: Safe and Quick Clearance of Traffic Incidents profiles laws, policies, and procedures for facilitating clearance of traffic incidents, primarily those initially blocking travel lanes and attended to by the vehicle operator, on highways in urban and rural areas. The report discusses quick clearance legislation, hold harmless laws, policies governing the removal of accident victims, the duties of private tow companies, and more.

Reducing traffic congestion and improving roadway safety are high priorities for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Traffic incidents are a major source of both highway congestion and safety problems. Incidents are estimated to cause approximately half of all traffic delay. Crashes that result from other incidents account for approximately 16 percent of all crashes and cause 18 percent of freeway deaths. For these reasons, FHWA strongly endorses the establishment and use of good traffic incident management. Effective transportation system management and operations depends on the aggressive management of temporary disruptions (caused by traffic incidents, work zones, weather, special events, etc.) in order to reduce the consequences of these disruptions and return the system to “full capacity.” The Incident Command System (ICS) is the systematic tool for the command, control, and coordination of an emergency response. ICS allows agencies to work together using common terminology and operating procedures for controlling personnel, facilities, equipment, and communications at an incident scene. The purpose of this Simplified Guide is to introduce the ICS to stakeholders who may be called upon to provide specific expertise, assistance, or material during highway incidents but who may be largely unfamiliar with ICS organization and operations. These stakeholders include transportation agencies and companies involved in towing and recovery, as well as elected officials and government agency managers at all levels. This document may also be beneficial to public safety professionals, who are familiar with ICS but may not fully understand how ICS concepts are applicable to transportation agencies.