AASHTO Journal, 13 July 2012
In late June, 39 Virginia representatives from law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency management, tow and recovery, communications, and the Department of Transportation participated in a “train the trainer” pilot workshop. The National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training is designed to provide the latest techniques in traffic incident management through a series of lectures, hands-on training, and on-street demonstrations. Created through the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2), the training will fundamentally transform traffic incident management on a national scale, bringing together for the first time a national curriculum in a standardized training format.
Several AASHTO subcommittees, including Maintenance, Traffic Engineering, and Systems Operation and Management, as well as the Special Committee on Transportation Security and Emergency Management, are expected to review the program and make recommendations to the Standing Committee on Highways and the AASHTO Board of Directors in November. The International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Volunteer Fire Council have formally endorsed the program; the International Association of Chiefs of Police will consider it in September.
Quick clearance techniques are designed to improve safety for drivers and responders alike; get traffic moving more rapidly; and reduce secondary accidents, which generate 18 percent of fatalities. The multi-disciplinary training is being piloted by the Transportation Research Board in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration to ensure it meets the needs of the many audiences that respond to incidents on the nation’s roadways. A similar training was held recently in Tennessee and two more are scheduled for Montana and Florida. Later this summer, FHWA will assume full implementation responsibilities, sponsoring train-the-trainer sessions in Arizona and Ohio.
The training focuses on developing “pit crew performance,” similar to how a team works in a race car environment. Responders work together in a coordinated manner, from the moment the first emergency call is made to the correct deployment of response vehicles, traffic cones, and advanced warning devices to ensure proper safety buffers and a secure work area. Proper handling and identification of hazardous materials, guidelines for working with hybrid vehicles, debris clearance, tow truck protocols, and proper positioning of advance warning devices are among the guidance covered in the curriculum.
Once fully implemented later this year, the training is expected to have a cascading effect — the trainers from these workshops are expected to train additional responders within their states in similar classroom settings. Within a year, it is hoped that at least 450 state and local trainers will be delivering the training across the country.
The curriculum is based on extensive and detailed research conducted with more than 100 traffic incident management responders across the country. An electronic version of the training is planned for 2014 along with a website of resources, which will also facilitate wide-scale deployment of the training.
More information on the SHRP2 program and its innovative tools is available at bit.ly/SHRP2info.