MODULE 8: TSMO and Incident Management An important part of TSMO is Traffic Incident Management. Traffic Incidents can greatly impact transportation network reliability. Building additional lanes to ease congestion due to traffic accidents an other irregularly occurring events is not financially feasible or justifiable. Instead, transportation professionals and first responders from various agencies must work together to develop and implement strategies to more safely and quickly resolve these incidents and restore regular traffic conditions. A TIM program or project should not be a stand-alone effort but rather a sustaining core function of an agency. https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop16084/chap1.htm

Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Planned and coordinated process to detect, respond and clear incidents and crashes quickly and safely Multi-disciplinary activity involving DOTs & emergency service providers TIM reduces the duration of traffic incidents (30%- 50%) Reduces congestion Improves reliability Improves safety - reduces secondary crashes

Principles of Good TIM Promote the safety of motorists, crash victims, and incident responders. Reduce the time for incident detection and verification. Reduce response time (the time for response personnel and equipment to arrive at the scene). Exercise proper and safe on-scene management of personnel and equipment, while keeping as many lanes, as possible, open to traffic. Conduct an appropriate response, investigation, and safe clearing of an incident. Reduce clearance time (the time required for the incident to be removed from the roadway). Provide timely and accurate information to the public that enables them to make informed choices. Get traffic moving again as soon as possible after a partial or complete roadway closure while managing the affected traffic until normal conditions are restored. Traffic Incident Management Cost Management and Cost Recovery Primer, FHWA

National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training Program TIM Training is an interactive, hands on training bringing together police, firefighters, tow operators, medical personnel and other incident responders. Over 277,000 responders trained. Established a national network of TIM training champions. Foster relationship building both in-State and State-to- State. Institutionalizing the training - Public safety academies in 20 States have adopted training.

Safety Service Patrols and Incident Response Truck Part of TIM Program Provides specially equipped response trucks and trained operators Assists stranded motorists and clearing debris Provides traffic control during traffic incidents Example Benefits Cleared 80% of incidents within 10 minutes Average Benefit/Cost Ratio of 12.4:1 Favorable public response

Training TIM training areas: TIM within agency or company Other responders’ roles or existence Specific procedural operations

Equipment Some common equipment used in TIM events: High-visibility safety apparel/ vehicle markings Vehicle-Mounted Push Bumpers Quick Clearance Using Fire Apparatus End-of-Queue Advance Warning Systems Strategies for rapidly/ efficiently mobilizing equipment: Personnel/equipment resource lists Equipment staging areas/pre-positioned equipment https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop10050/ch2.htm#s4 Vehicle-Mounted Push Bumpers -Push bumpers, mounted on response vehicles, are used to quickly and safely remove disabled vehicles from the shoulder or travel lanes, reducing the likelihood of secondary incidents and improving the safety of both response personnel and motorists. Push bumpers are commonly mounted on law enforcement and transportation agency vehicles, particularly those used in a service patrol capacity. Vehicles equipped with push bumpers are used to relocate vehicles out of immediate danger; towing and recovery vehicles are used to transport the vehicle longer distances as required. Vehicle-mounted push bumpers are widely used to support TIM operations across the Nation. Of the participants in this investigation, vehicle-mounted push bumpers are reported to be in use in Redding, CA, Stockton, CA, Baltimore, MD, the Delaware Valley region in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Cincinnati, OH, Chattanooga, TN, Austin, TX, and Salt Lake City, UT. Quick clearance using fire apparatus. Adopting a unique and progressive approach to quick clearance in Austin, TX, the Austin Fire Department recently issued a Special Order that allows AFD personnel to use their on-scene fire apparatus to assist in clearing the roadways. Utilizing tow straps provided by on-scene law enforcement officers, AFD may pull a disabled or blocking vehicle out of the travel lane to the side of the road. Fire and rescue personnel are authorized to act only at the request of a law enforcement officer. During minor incidents, this capability is thought to be particularly beneficial when only law enforcement motorcycle units with limited vehicle removal abilities are available on-scene. To make full use of this new operating procedure, local law enforcement agencies are considering equipping all motorcycle units with tow straps. During major incidents, the larger size and towing capacity of the fire apparatus compared to on-scene law enforcement cruisers may prove beneficial in quickly removing larger vehicles involved in the incident from the travel lane. Although benefits attributable to this change in operation have not yet been quantified given its recent implementation, it is anticipated to be highly effective in enhancing the quick clearance of incidents since fire and rescue and law enforcement personnel are typically the first responders to the scene. End-of-queue advance warning systems. Static, arrow board, or dynamic message signs are commonly utilized to warn approaching motorists of a downstream traffic queue. Arrow boards and DMSs used for this purpose are commonly portable, and mounted on trailers or installed on appropriate response vehicles. End-of-queue advance warning should occur far enough upstream to provide motorists with sufficient notice to slow and stop their vehicle, as necessary. The appropriate location varies depending on the speed limit, extent of congestion, and roadway geometrics that affect driver sight distance. Warning devices should be moved as needed to remain well in advance of the queue. The effectiveness of end-of-queue advance warning systems is dependent upon the nature and extent of traffic control devices available as part of the end-of-queue advance warning system, and the expediency with which these devices are mobilized and deployed. End-of-queue advance warning systems are widely used to support TIM operations, predominantly by transportation agencies across the Nation. Of the participants in this investigation, end-of-queue advance warning systems are reported to be in use in Bishop, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Redding, CA, Stockton, CA, Camden, NJ, Chattanooga, TN, and Salt Lake City, UT.

MOUs Successful TIM programs require multiagency coordination making it important to: Meet regularly with partner agencies and stakeholders Establish a joint vision or mission Formally document all agreements with memorandums of understanding (MOUs) signed by all participants SAFETY SERVICE PATROL PRIORITIES AND BEST PRACTICES, April 2017 APPENDIX C. TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT INTER-AGENCY MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING EXAMPLES At: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop16047/appc.htm What is a TIM Program? The goal of a TIM program is to allow for a more effective, efficient response for all responding agencies. On-going effort from all TIM responders to continuously identify needs and opportunities for improvement. TIM programs and associated committees and/or task forces are sustained and on-going. TIM Program - Where do you Start? Identify, involve, encourage participation from all responding agencies and stakeholders - "get folks to the table." Identify a "champion" to lead program development and on-going program administration. Establish and maintain relationships. Collectively assess the "climate" - Where are we now? Tool: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Capability Maturity TIM Self-Assessment (CMSA). Collectively establish goals for performance and progress - Where do we want/need to go? Tool: Charter/Vision/Mission TIM Who? - Identifying Program Participants Law Enforcement. Fire Departments. State Environmental Agency. Public Safety Dispatchers. Emergency Management. Medical Examiners/Coroners. Federal, State, and Local Departments of Transportation. Service Patrols (contracted and/or agency-staffed). Planning Organizations. Towing, Recovery, and Specialized Clean-Up Services. Media. TIM Program Committee Meetings Meet regularly (e.g., monthly or quarterly) to: Establish, confirm, reinforce goals/objectives. Consider a vision or mission development activity and subsequent memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by all participants. Identify, discuss problem areas, needs (e.g., TIM CMSA). Collaborate in developing solutions and strategies. Conduct after-action reviews or debriefs. Promote awareness of on-going TIM-related activities and initiatives. Monitor training requirements. Establish, reinforce and renew relationships.

TIM Costs & Benefits In the TOP-BC, the number of crashes is predicted to change for any strategy that results in a change in VMT, or strategies that result in a change to the volume/capacity level of freeway facilities. Improved safety of motorists, crash victims, and incident responders. 10% reduction in fatality crashes for incident detection/verification strategies due to faster response times Timely and accurate information to the public, enabling them to make informed choices No change to default crash rates, but economic and environmental savings? Faster return to normal conditions; reduced traffic impacts during partial or complete closure https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop16084/fhwahop 16084.pdf https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop14032/ch4.htm#43