2014 TRANSPORTATION SAFETY SUMMIT LOUISIANA STATE POLICE & LADOTD TIM INITIATIVE PROJECT SUMMARY & PRESENTATION LAW ENFORCEMENT FIRE EMS TRANSPORTATION TOWING & RECOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
What is Traffic Incident Management s Purpose? To establish the foundation and promote the consistent training of all responders to achieve the three objectives of the TIM National Unified Goal (NUG): Responder Safety Safe, Quick Clearance Prompt, Reliable, Interoperable Communications
Why Traffic Incident Management Training? Statistics indicate that present DOTD work zones have increased worker safety and given motorists safe passage through the area. Motorists have become more familiar with its design. National % of all Fatalities Louisiana %of all Fatalities 2009-677 2.0% 16 1.9% 2010-586 1.7% 15 2.1% 2011-590 1.8% 13 1.9% 2012-609 1.8% 12 1.6% In the event of a traffic incident, if the roadway cannot be restored by a Safe & Quick Clearance technique then we can apply the work zone template to an intermediate and major traffic incident. Statistics from the National Work Zone Safety Website
Traffic Incident Management Training Historically Began in 2009 as mandated by the LA Senate Transportation Committee. It mandated and established that it become required training by LA POST certified police academies. The present initiative began in late 2013 with the introduction of a national standardized training model to Louisiana. (37 instructors) Distribution Model (Multi Discipline Approach) 2 classes per month through 2015 Goal is to teach 5,000 students by the end of the first 12 months 650 students to be taught by March 31, 2014 2 nd Train the Trainer course in May to certify additional instructors (concentration on Fire, EMS, DOTD)
How are we evaluating our progress? Executive Committee Meetings are held semi annually TIM Steering Committee Meetings are held quarterly Discussion, evaluation, and trends that consider: Who is being trained? Who are the participants? Are the classes composed of multi-discipline responders? After action reviews and snapshots of actual traffic incidents submitted for review. 1. Total Incident & Roadway Clearance Time Reduction vs Current Trend 2. Responder Safety Techniques being used a. Advanced Warning, Appropriate Lane Closures & Progressive Opening b. Responder Safety through proper blocking & staging techniques Recommendations to Instructors
How are we evaluating our progress? Instructor Meetings Meetings are held quarterly Ideal Class Instructors are 2 1 from each discipline (example Fire, EMS) Discussion, evaluation, and trends to consider: Is the material relevant to the class. Are the classes composed of multi-discipline responders? Are there areas that need to be better identified in the subject matter? Can we improve any logistic problems? Facility locations appropriate and centralized for students. Subject matter recommendations are forwarded to the TIM Steering Committee for consideration, approval, or denial.
What are we teaching? Louisiana TIM Model The National Traffic Incident Management Model for Responders was used. The material was modified by the TIM Steering Committee for Louisiana The information addresses Louisiana Laws and the Open Roads Philosophy LA Fire Ground Authority Law The establishment of a Danger Zone by Law Enforcement & Fire Officer Coroner s Law Removal of Decedent Move It Laws Roadway Clearance & Removal Laws 24 hour Storage as opposed to 72 hours Immediate removal from tunnels, bridges, and other elevated structures
LA Open Roads Philosophy-Dissected After concern for personal safety and the safety and security of any incident victims, the top priority of responders, balanced with the need for accurate investigation, is to open the roadway by clearing vehicles, victims, and debris from the travel lanes to allow traffic to resume at the maximum possible capacity under the circumstances
TIM Timeline (Concurrent work vs Consecutive work) Concurrent work into multiple segments to shorten the Clearance Time
Safe, Quick Clearance is the preferred outcome Safe, Quick Clearance The second of the three main NUG objectives, it is the practice of rapidly, safely, and aggressively removing temporary obstructions from the roadway Disabled vehicles Wrecked vehicles Debris Spilled cargo Remember the first goal is the safety of the responders. The second is
What is Safe, Quick Clearance? Working with a sense of urgency Utilizing Unified Command and incorporating safe, quick clearance into the incident objectives Completing tasks concurrently whenever possible Regularly assessing traffic control and on-scene activities to determine if additional lanes can be opened Utilizing all available resources for clearance activities Thinking outside of the box and considering how things could be done differently 4H-11
Traffic Incident Management Template Buffer Space Incident Space Advance Warning Area Transition Area Activity Area Termination Area Proper responder vehicle placement. Buffer spaces are created for errant vehicles to safeguard responders
Annual National Responder Struck-By Fatalities In a typical year, the following number of responders are struck and killed: 12 Law Enforcement Officers 5 Fire and Rescue Personnel 60 Towing and Recovery Professionals Several transportation professionals from DOTs, Public Works, and Safety Service Patrol Programs
The largest threat to TIM responders are D Drivers D Drivers are killing us Drunk, Drugged, Drowsy, Distracted, or Just plain Dumb
Distracted Driver - Facebook
Move Over Laws Move Over Laws require drivers approaching a scene where emergency responders are present to either change lanes when possible and/or reduce vehicle speed The District of Columbia is the only place without a Move Over Law States with Move Over Laws
Driver Removal Laws Also referred to as: Fender Bender Move It Steer It, Clear It Require motorists involved in minor crashes (where there are no serious injuries and the vehicle can be driven) to move their vehicles out of the travel lanes to the shoulder or other safe area 4H-17
Detection, Verification & Scene Size Up Telecommunicators are often the first to receive notification of an incident and are responsible for: Providing a basic assessment of the situation Dispatching an appropriate response based on their knowledge of available resources 4H-18
Determining the Incident Location Telecommunicators should: Ask the calling party to identify the specific geographic location of the incident, referencing highway mile markers, nearest exit/entrance ramp signs, etc. If applicable, advise motorists of the Driver Removal Law and instruct them to move vehicles off the roadway if there are no injuries Once verified, responders are dispatched to respond 4H-19
Verification Verification involves collecting sufficient information on the nature of the incident including identifying: Type and level of incident Exact physical location Number of vehicles involved Color and type if possible Lanes affected Injuries, entrapment 4H-20
Responder s Initial/Windshield Size-Up Upon first arriving on-scene, an initial or windshield size-up report should be provided Confirmation of geographical location Preliminary analysis of current situation Actions required to mitigate the situation Resources required to support those actions Should take into consideration any unique safety situations apparent to responders as they arrive on-scene 4H-21
Initial/Windshield Size-Up Typical Windshield Size-Up Report Unit identification Exact location of incident Number and type of vehicles involved Degree of damage Number of lanes closed Hazards or problems Establishment of command 4H-22
Progress Reports A detailed scene size-up should be provided within 15 minutes Additional progress reports should be provided at regular intervals Initial/ Windshield Size-Up Report 15-Minute Detailed Size-Up Report Regular Progress Reports 4H-23
Lesson 3 Progress Reports Location Exact incident location Vehicles Number and type of vehicles involved Injured Persons Number and extent of injuries, and need for extrication Incident Duration Classification Minor, Intermediate, or Major On-Scene Conditions Any conditions present that may affect the safety of responders (e.g., limited visibility, downed wires, etc.) Hazardous Materials Presence or potential presence at the scene 3-24
Lesson 3 Progress Reports Traffic Conditions Length of traffic queue Traffic control needs Detour/alternate route needs Towing and Recovery Provide accurate, detailed vehicle info Additional Resources Helicopter EMS services Crash investigation/reconstruction Medical examiner/coroner 3-25
Incident Duration Classifications Minor < 30 minutes Intermediate 30 min - 2 hrs Major > 2 hours If the event is estimated to be for a 24 hour duration a work zone must be set up!
Fire Ground Authority-How many lanes do we close? Danger Zone is determined by the Ranking Fire & Law Enforcement Officer
Communications (Interoperability) Lane Designation Terminology Plain English Right Shoulder (Outside) Left Lane Right Lane Left Center Lane Right Center Lane 4H-28
Communications (Interoperability) Lane Designation Terminology Plain English Lane 1 Lane 4 Lane 2 Lane 3
Communications (Interoperability) Lane Designation Terminology Plain English HOV Lane Lane 1 Lane 2 Lane 3 Lane 4
Communications (Interoperability)- Common Terms Departing traffic is: Downstream If incident is here Approaching traffic is: Upstream 4H-31
Communications (Interoperability)- Traffic Queues Advanced Warning is the critical safe point! 4H-32
Why traffic queues are so bad! Advanced Warnings must be prior to the queue at a safe distance to warn motorists
Recognizing Advanced Warning Police face traffic in order to safely monitor & adjust to the queue and to escape danger!
Responder Safe-Positioning MUTCD Definition The positioning of emergency vehicles at an incident in a manner that attempts to: 1. Protect the responders performing their duties 2. Protect road users traveling through the incident scene 3. Minimize, to the extent practical, disruption of the adjacent traffic flow
Responder Vehicle Positioning There are two ways an emergency response vehicle is commonly positioned on the roadway Angled Parallel (straight) Considerations for determining how to position a vehicle include: Current conditions, such as roadway geometry, sight distance, weather, etc. Safety of other responders, crash victims, and passing motorists Impact to vehicle visibility, including vehicle markings and emergency vehicle lighting
Responder Blocking Blocking is the action of positioning a responder vehicle in advance of an incident to obstruct the flow of moving traffic in one or more lanes Linear Block occurs when a responder positions their vehicle to block a single lane or the shoulder Multi-Lane Block occurs when the first responder positions their vehicle to block multiple involved lanes If possible use a large GVWR vehicle for blocking incident scenes!
Linear vs. Multi-Lane Blocking Linear Blocking Multi-Lane Blocking
Angled Multi-Lane Blocking
Parallel Linear Blocking
Angled Linear Blocking 4H-41
Lane +1 Blocking By the very nature of fire/rescue and EMS work, additional space to work is typically required Lane +1 blocking occurs when responders block the involved lane(s) plus one additional lane to provide a protected lateral space for safety
Lane +1 Blocking Protected Incident Space 4H-43
Progressively Open Lanes Take only as many lanes as you need for as long as you need them as the incident is cleared, lanes can be progressively opened 4H-44
Typical Vehicle Positioning Upstream Downstream Upstream Law Enforcement Fire DOT or Safety Service Patrol Vehicle Downstream Ambulance Tow Truck Other Support Units Placement is fluid during the event according to first, second, or third arrival reposition if necessary
Emergency Vehicle Markings Responder Safety is key for the use of vehicle and responder safety markings (safety vests).
MUTCD Section 6I.05 Use of Emergency-Vehicle Lighting Though essential for safety, use of too many lights at an incident scene can be distracting and can create confusion for approaching road users If working multi lane roadways it is a good idea to turn off forward facing strobes to eliminate rubber necking
ANSI 107 vs. ANSI 207 ANSI 107 Class II Vest ANSI 207 Public Safety Vest Note shorter length to allow access to items on belt
Lesson 5 Shortcoming of Wearing No Vest!
Incident Command System (ICS) Standardized, on-scene, all-hazards incident management concept Allows users to adopt an organizational structure for handling an incident without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries Goals of ICS: Safety of responders and others Achievement of tactical objectives Efficient use of resources
Command Structures Single Command Incident Commander has complete responsibility for incident management Unified Command Utilized when incidents require multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency response Allows all agencies to: Work together without affecting authority, responsibility, or accountability Manage an incident together by establishing a common set of incident objectives and strategies
By working together 2 Lanes were opened 1.5 Hours Sooner Video Courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Post Incident Briefings After Action Reports Focus On What Went Right Identify Training, Equipment Needs For Improving Future TIMs Documentation After Action Meetings include all responding agencies.
END PROJECT SUMMARY & PRESENTATION LAW ENFORCEMENT FIRE EMS TRANSPORTATION TOWING & RECOVERY COMMUNICATIONS