le governance structure; and preservation of the 700 MHz narrowband mission-critical voice spectrum became a reality in February 2012 when Congress passed—and the president signed—legislation making public safety’s longtime need a reality.33 Finally, cloud computing has the potential of increasing responders’ effectiveness and ultimately reducing costs by sharing in a timely fashion crucial data among the various disciplines at major traffic incidents.34
9. Try new approaches. There may be better ways to resolve traffic crashes or incidents than the way it always has been done. Florida’s Rapid Incident Scene Clearance (RISC) program is but one innovation “to reduce delays associated with the clearance of major incidents.” The RISC program was initiated in 2004 and essentially establishes a 90-minute window for clearing a crash or incident from a limited-access highway, the achievement of which results in the payment to the tow company of the standard $2,500 incentive. Twenty-one tow companies with specialized equipment and personnel expertise currently participate in this program that primarily deals with large vehicles. Basically, a selected tow company must acknowledge a request within 15 minutes, must arrive at the incident scene with all required equipment within 60 minutes of notification, and must clear the scene in 90 minutes. During fiscal year 2011, the RISC program was activated on 89 occasions; the 90-minute clearance time was accomplished 89 percent of the time with an average of 59.3 minutes to reopen all traffic lanes and with a total payment of $221,200.35
The Arizona Highway Patrol’s Operation Safe Commute is another innovative program. On the Phoenix metro area freeway system, where 90 percent of metropolitan Phoenix’s crashes occur, patrol officers are stationed on one-mile stretches during peak traffic hours to ensure the freeway remains clear. “Circular patrols and stationary observation of traffic in positions that do not influence traffic flow facilitate this strategy. Quick, safe responses to and quick clearance of minor incidents should prevent secondary crashes and reduce congestion.”36 During two, three-month periods (October through December 2010, and April through June 2011), roadway clearance times37 were reduced by 30 percent and incident clearance times were reduced by 50 percent.38 There were 4,795 crashes reported on the freeway system during the first three months and 4,366 during the second—a reduction of 9 percent (429 crashes).39
10. Time is of the essence. To the degree that primary traffic incidents are resolved effectively, efficiently, and safely, responders will spend less time on highways and thereby should be exposed to fewer dangers. Further, the likelihood of secondary crashes will decrease and congestion will be reduced.
The members of the multidisciplinary TIM Subcommittee40 have worked for the past 18 months to incorporate TIM concepts into the roll-call video Manage to Survive: Traffic Incident Management for First Responders, supported by a cooperative agreement among the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, its Research and Innovative Technology Administration, and the IACP. It will debut at the 119th Annual Conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in San Diego, California, September 29–October 3, and is intended to promote cooperation and coordination among the disciplines that respond to traffic incidents in order to achieve the NUG’s objectives.
| Attend the Highway Safety Committee’s Roll-Call Video: Manage to Survive: Traffic Incident Management for First Responders |
When: Monday, October 1, 3:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m., in “Coordinated Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Saves Both Time and Lives” workshop
Where: IACP 2012, San Diego Convention Center
Contact: Richard J. Ashton, 1-800-843-4227, extension 276; or email@example.com
Time is the common denominator in all successful TIM programs. To the degree that disciplines seek more and better ways to work together concurrently, responder safety will improve, the effectiv