Building a National Coalition for Traffic Incident Management



National Traffic Incident Management Coalition

Meeting Summary – October 13, 2005

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Welcome and Introductions

John Corbin (Coalition Chairperson)

Mr. Corbin welcomed representatives of the NTIMC and called for self introductions. John emphasized that the initial efforts of the Coalition are merging to form a complete picture showing meaningful progress towards our goals. John reviewed the agenda (Appendix A), and called for additional items members wished to add.

Participants

Brett Graves

John Corbin

TJ Nedrow

Rebecca Brewster

Mike Zezeski

Kevin Dopart

Mike Brown

Jon Biechman

David Helman

Bill Troup

Karen Haas

Steve Cyra

Harlin McEwen

Jim Goerke

Henry deVries

Paul Najarian

Bruce Churchill

Earl Hardy

Status of Coalition Actions

Personal Protective Equipment Technology Working Group

Steve Austin (Cumberland Valley Volunteers Firemen’s Association – CVVFA)

The Personal Protective Equipment Technology Working Group is encouraging the ANSI/ISEA High Visibility Group to develop a garment visibility standard specifically for public safety responders. A group of representatives including Steve Austin, John Corbin, Henry deVries, Valerie Briggs, David Helman, and Dick Ashton will meet with representatives of the International Safety Equipment Association on October 14 to discuss development of a new standard and NTIMC representation at the ISEA Fall Meeting to address the High Visibility Group. Letters in support of this initiative have been sent to ISEA from several public safety organizations.

Membership Invitations

Brett Graves (Coalition Support)

Invitations for membership have been sent to the International Association of Emergency Managers, the American Public Transportation Association, the National Emergency Management Association, and the National Sheriff’s Association. Valerie Briggs proposed we follow up with invitees, using the newsletter summary of this meeting, to inquire about potential representation on the Coalition. Rebecca Brewster suggested the American Automobile Association (AAA) be invited to join the Coalition, siting potential benefits including its large member audience. Rebecca volunteered to identify an appropriate point of contact at AAA. John Corbin offered that representation from these five groups, with engagement taking place by early next year, would complete the skeleton framework of the Coalition.

Action Items:

• R. Brewster will identify an appropriate point of contact at AAA for invitation to participate in the Coalition.

• V. Briggs will follow up with invited organizations, using the newsletter summary of this meeting, to inquire about the status of representation invitations to the Coalition.

Public Safety Advisory Group (PSAG) Update

Jim Goerke (NENA)

Mr. Goerke summarized the PSAG meeting of November 12, 2005:

• The PSAG discussed the status of activities being performed in partnership with ITS America and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The DOT Next Generation 911 program (NG 9-1-1) involves the FHWA Joint Program Office and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Activities under NG 9-1-1 include “listening sessions” to ensure the right stakeholders are included, and a technology summit. The PSAG 911 Subcommittee is leading this effort.

• The PSAG also discussed the impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including their role in considering areas of concern related to response. At this time much of the country is examining lessons learned, to better understand effective responses and procedures. The PSAG considered their role in examination of lessons learned; many of which are relevant to NTIMC areas of concern.

• The Public Safety subcommittee discussed potential follow- on activities to the Protect the Protector brochure, including documenting how stakeholders can obtain the technology identified in the brochure.

• The Technology subcommittee is reviewing relevant documents currently under development.

Discussion:

• The partnership between the PSAG and the NTIMC continues to be beneficial, efforts such as NG 9-1-1, protect the protector, and the ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 effort are highly relevant to both groups. AASHTO is considering more formally supporting existing public safety standards. Public safety standards and transportation standards are typically developed without coordination for conflicts. The NTIMC should develop a document that identifies all relevant ITS and transportation responder standards currently in place. Examples include CAD/CAD integration standards. (Corbin)

• It is critical to ensure coordination between I-95 Corridor Coalition and FHWA standards research activities. The public safety community has made significant progress in defining and developing CAD standards, and the transportation community should consider this during any standards development activities to avoid duplication of efforts or conflicting standards. (McEwen)

• ANSI standards are required to be updated at least every 5 years. The NFPA updates standards every 3 years. (Biechman)

• The NTIMC should develop a list of relevant standards to help begin coordination among various standards and organizations. The standards list should include only non-technical procedural or operations type standards, as technical and communications protocol standards are being addressed by the PSAG and other stakeholders. Non-technical procedure or operational standards are relevant to NTIMC members, mission, and goals. Once developed and approved, we may consider balloting the list through AASHTO and ITE. (Corbin)

Relevant resources for standards development summary:

• Office of Management and Budget OMB A-119 Circular - Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards

• ANSI/ISEA 107-2004

• NFPA 1001 (Job performance requirements for highway operations and safety)

• ATSSA Standards Training Resources

• International Fire Services Training Association documents

Action Items:

• Coalition support will develop brief document in table format that identifies relevant and related standards. The table will distinguish between Technical/Communications standards and operations/procedural standards.

• Coalition support will work with the IACP to establish a linkage between NTIMC activities and the IACP Technology Clearinghouse.

• H. deVries will contact Harlin to discuss CAD issues and existing standards.

Traffic Incident Response and Scene Management Study Tour Recommendations

John Corbin (Coalition Chair)

A presentation summarizing the European scanning tour was distributed to participants. Portions of the presentation were viewed during the last Coalition meeting, but additional recommendations are included in the distributed. Each of the four countries visited had a national goal, priorities in place, and plans pertaining to incidents on the national highway system. Scan participants understand the differences and impacts of European government structures, but also recognize that if the U.S. Government prioritizes initiatives the results will be positive. The recommendations from the scan tour will provide validation for ideas and good practices, as well as assist during development of a national unified goal for the U.S. A report with final recommendations is currently in draft form.

John highlighted the following recommendations of the scan tour:

• Develop and adopt a national goal that addresses safety, travel time reliability, traveler information, interoperable communications.

• Develop national guidelines related to high visibility garments for incident responders.

• Develop tactical response plans related to dispatch, pre-planned response assignments, integrated towing and recovery operations.

Discussion:

• The European system elevates and institutionalizes the importance and safety of responders on the scene. (Brewster)

• The European recommendations site “increased authority for transportation personnel”, which could put highway safety personnel at risk. The right to move vehicles by DOT responders may be objectionable to the law enforcement community, given their responsibility to investigate and document the accident scene. (McEwen)

• Elevating all highway response vehicles to emergency status could cause safety issues. DOT vehicles responding late can potentially create another hazard when traveling on the shoulder or through stopped traffic. We need to thoroughly consider the potential impacts to determine if in fact, it is beneficial to provide more authority to transportation agencies at incident scenes. (Austin)

• Some States currently allow DOT vehicles limited emergency powers under certain situations. (Helman)

• Non-emergency vehicles may not need the exact same type of lighting as emergency vehicles; it is also advisable for all 50 States to adopt similar lighting practices to maintain consistency. (Zezeski)

• Each stakeholder has a defined role, and broader understanding of these roles is a critical part of training for all responders, improving coordination among responders. Best practices and case studies will help resolve specific issues, such as emergency lighting for transportation responders. (Nedrow)

• This discussion further emphasizes the need for a national unified goal. AASHTO has included the need for a national unified goal into their strategic plan, and are working to increase attention at the executive level. (Briggs)

• Our discussion has centered on the level of responsibility for transportation agencies during incident response. The recommendations resulting from the European scan are only items for consideration during development of a national goal. As the idea of a national goal progresses there will be opportunity for technical stakeholder input and guidance. Discussions such as this are helpful to identify preliminary areas of concern and should be addressed by the NTIMC as representatives of the incident response community. (Corbin)

• The Communications and Outreach Plan incorporates ideas to begin dialogue with various groups to develop the national unified goal. It is anticipated that the December 2006 workshop will serve to vet the draft plan of the national unified goal. Realizing that input will be needed from several stakeholder groups, the NTIMC should consider and propose a formal development process. (Corbin)

Action Items:

• K. Haas will develop/propose a strawman process for development of a national unified goal, with review and input provided by a Coalition working group.

Communications and Outreach Planning

Karen Haas (Coalition Support)

Karen Haas reviewed the Communications and Outreach Plan (C+O). The goal of the plan to use existing resources, while not competing with previously established communication channels. This is a two year plan that guides our actions in next 2 to 6 months. The plan is designed to be dynamic and should be updated, as reasonable, to ensure continued success.

Discussion:

• Getting participation from NTIMC member communications staff could be challenging. (Goerke)

• The idea is to build the Communications workshop to encourage interests by soliciting dynamic key-note speakers, and through internal encouragement from technical Coalition members. (Haas)

• The NFPA is joining the AAA to help reduce non-functional vehicles that create fire hazards. AAA would be a good partner to the NTIMC for information dissemination. (Biechman)

• The Communications and Outreach Plan will be useful during development of a national unified goal. I suggest we establish a working group to craft an initial draft process for developing a national goal. The first step would be to help Coalition Support understand how to engage relevant organizations for input. (Corbin)

• Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are not typically informed about regional incident management programs that have contacts with local officials and decision makers. MPOs are responsible for extended year planning, and are a source of federal funding. MPOs need to be engaged early during development or review of regional incident management programs. (Churchill)

• Communication and Outreach workshops will be our next opportunity to recruit new members, for representation of local responders and metropolitan planning organizations. (Corbin)

• Good technical information materials and documents will help to increase participation at the Communications and Outreach workshop. (Goerke)

• A call was made for volunteers to participate in a working group to help draft an initial process for developing a national unified goal. Volunteers included John Corbin, Valerie Briggs, Steve Cyra, Rebecca Brewster, Bruce Churchill, TJ Nedrow, Jim Goerke, Steve Austin, Harlin McEwen (as available). (Corbin)

Action Items:

• K. Haas will email communication and outreach input templates to John Biechman. (Completed)

• V. Briggs will follow up with contacts at the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations and the National Association of Regional Councils to solicit participation in developing a national unified goal.

TIM Performance Measures Transportation Focus States Initiative Workshop

Rebecca Brewster (ATRI)

The FHWA recently sponsored a workshop activity to bring together transportation and law enforcement stakeholders to develop consensus on performance measurement for incident management. The purpose of the workshops was to identify available data elements that can increase understanding about how TIM programs are developing. Two local workshops were held with several state participants. Eleven States were identified as focus states to hold working sessions on potential program level performance measures for incident management. Following development of recommendations participants at the workshop will be reconvened to develop an action plan for implementing performance measures in the eleven focus states.

Discussion:

• A strong case can be made that law enforcement needs to play a significant role in developing performance measures. (Helman)

• Local law enforcement representation needs to be present at the workshop in order to be effective. The law enforcement community has been working on performance measures for years, and is recognizing that coordination among stakeholders is critical. (McEwen)

• The Coalition should continue to encourage a link between transportation and public safety communities to improve data exchange and determine status of roadways in real-time. (Corbin)

Action Items:

• K. Haas will plan and coordinate the Communications Task Force meetings for August and immediately prior to the next Coalition meeting.

• B. Graves will include a 10-15 minute briefing in next agenda to summarize results, and next steps.

Your Vest Won't Stop This Bullet: A Guide to Safer Traffic Stops

Harlin McEwen / Dick Ashton (IACP)

The Coalition viewed a “roll call” video that was produced in partnership between the IACP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The video highlighted the issues and impacts associated with roadway stops and incidents. Contact Richard J. Ashton – ashtonr@ to request videos. Further details about the NHTSA/IACP effort are available at: .

Discussion:

• Analysis of the data provided by the Department of Labor shows that a large portion of the fatalities to responders occur as a result of traffic crashes, not struck-bys. (Dopart)

• We track responder injuries/fatalities on and since August we have documented 63 responders that have been involved struck by vehicles while responding to incidents. (Austin)

• The video serves to increase awareness among police officers there is no all encompassing solution to the problem. (deVries)

• There is potential to incorporate this into the communication strategy. It highlights the issues, and could serve as a powerful introduction to incident responder issues at conferences and meetings. (Corbin)

Action Items:

• H. McEwen will find if it is possible to request large quantities of videos.

First Responder Vehicle Safety Program

Bill Troup (USFA)

Bill Troup updated the Coalition on research and activities taking place at the USFA.

• USFA continues work on emergency vehicle warning lighting research with the Society of Automotive Engineers.

• The Emergency Vehicle and Roadway Operations Safety program includes research on moving and stopped vehicles. The USFA is focused intensely on improving safety for fire fighters.

• A report is available on Phase I of the Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative. Contact Bill Troup to request copies.

• Funding from the Department of Justice, USFA, and others has allowed the partnership with the CVVFA on roadway operations safety issues to continue.

• The USFA is proud to have worked with the National Volunteer Fire Council on an internet based program for the safe operation of emergency vehicles. A handout was distributed describing the effort and resulting report .

• The USFA has worked in the past with various partners including NHTSA to address some of the initiatives identified in section 2014 in SAFETEA-LU.

Discussion:

• B. Troup may be able to offer assistance in identifying speakers for TIM workshops that will take place next year.

Action Items:

• V. Briggs and Bill Troup will discuss the NCHRP 20-7 proposal and on-going related efforts.

NCHRP 20-7 Proposal – Traffic Incident Management for Worker Safety

Valerie Briggs (AASHTO)

The NTIMC in partnership with the AASHTO Subcommittee on Systems Operations & Management has submitted a research problem statement to the National Academy of Science. The research proposed would summarize existing research findings and approaches related to TIM safety and establish a set of recommendations for national action to enhance the safety of TIM workers. A project panel is being pulled together and NTIMC representation will be encouraged. John Conrad led the effort to help secure funding; Kevin McGinnis led the effort to develop the proposal.

The Coalition should consider the project timeline to coordinate with major NTIMC activities. Our timeline should be recommended to Ray Derr, but needs to be provided soon. Valerie suggested a possible schedule: scoping in December; contractor performs research through January and February 2006, draft products review in the April/May 2006.

Action Items:

• K. Haas will include this research effort into the national unified goal development process effort.

• Coalition support will propose a December scoping teleconference through Ray Derr (NAS). Scoping teleconference participants will include Bill Troup, John Corbin, Rebecca Brewster, and others.

Immediate Responder Safety Items

Move Over Awareness Laws

Steve Austin (CVVFA)

Mr. Austin described the current efforts being undertaken by the CVVFA to support “move-over” legislation. Approximately 30 states have enacted some form of; law requiring vehicles to slow down and change lanes when approaching stationary emergency vehicles. An awareness video was shown on move-over safety laws in Michigan. The video is being included in Traffic Incident Planning kits, recently distributed to each member of the Coalition. Additional kits can be requested through .

The CVVFA is developing PowerPoint slides from pictures taken during the National Photo Shoot. The slides will be available for download and use. The photos show recommended coning, apparatus set up, and high visibility apparel used during incident response. The CVVFA is in the process of developing photo shoots for incidents in tunnels and on two-lane roads.

Memberships to are available for 5 dollars annually. Please see the website or contact Steve Austin for details on how to join.

Discussion:

Appropriate legislative strategies to establish move-over laws should be discussed in the context of developing a national unified goal. The concept of the national unified goal has two layers: performance and outcomes, and goals for specific principles/practices. For example one goal might be that every licensed driver is aware of laws pertaining to workers/responders on the roadway (Corbin).

Scene safety and move-over laws should be incorporated into the National Unified Goal. Education of drivers is a major issue, need to determine how to display (sign) and inform drivers about move-over laws. (Austin)

Action Items:

• NTIMC will continue to follow and examine research needs related to move-over legislation.

On-scene Traffic Control for Inclusion in the MUTCD

David Helman (FHWA)

There was an initiative several years ago to include on-scene traffic control in the MUTCD. The general at that time was that it would be too difficult to enforce; data to quantify the benefits was not available. Instead general guidance was crafted for traffic incident management with a focus on responder safety (Helman).

Discussion:

• One issue is changes to the MUTCD and coordination with public safety and law enforcement practices (McEwen).

• Development of a national unified goal should include driver education and public information on move-over laws (Corbin).

Member Events and Products

John Corbin (Coalition Chair)

John Corbin briefly reviewed the incident management relevant events.

• TRB Incident Management Workshop – Washington D.C., January 22, 2006

• TRB Freeway Operations Committee meeting – Washington D.C., January 22-26, 2006

• ITE 2006 Technical Conference and Exhibit – San Antonio, TX, March 19-22, 2006

• ITS America Annual Meeting & Exposition – Philadelphia, PA, May 2006

Scheduling Future Coalition Meetings

Jim Goerke (NENA)

The dates tentatively scheduled for the coordinated PSAG/NTIMC 2006 meetings are listed below. 

1st meeting - February 15-16 (alternate February 7-8);

2nd meeting - May 24-25;

3rd meeting - October 4-5 (tentative). 

With some disagreement on the February dates, it was recommended that Coalition support confirm and finalize the dates, with input from all PSAG and NTIMC members.

Action Items:

• B. Graves will solicit final input from all PSAG and NTIMC members via email.

Conclusion

John Corbin (Coalition Chairperson)

The meeting was closed with a review of the action items captured (these are listed under each agenda topic). The next meeting will take place in February 2005, depending on finalization of tentative dates. Mr. Corbin thanked all speakers and participants for attending.

AGENDA

|9:00 |Welcome and Overview of Agenda |John Corbin |

| | |Wisconsin DOT |

|9:15 |Status of Coalition Actions |Steve Austin |

| |Personnel Protective Equipment Technology Working Group |CVVFA |

| |Membership invitations | |

| |ITE 2006 Abstract |Brett Graves |

| | |SAIC |

|9:45 |PSAG Update |Jim Goerke |

| |Brief meeting summary |NENA |

| |Hurricane Katrina – PSAG/NTIMC linkage to future events | |

| |Guide for Emergency Transportation Operations | |

| |Reactivating PSAG NG (New Generation) 911 Subcommittee | |

|10:15 |Traffic Incident Response and Scene Management Study Tour Recommendations |David Helman |

| | |FHWA |

|10:45 |Transportation Incident Management/Planned Special Events Workshop |Laurie Radow |

| | |FHWA |

|11:00 |Break | |

|11:15 |Communications and Outreach Planning |Karen Haas |

| | |Manifest Inc. |

|11:45 |First Responder Vehicle Safety Program |John Corbin |

| | |Wisconsin DOT |

|12:15 |Lunch | |

|1:15 |Scheduling future coalition meetings |All Coalition Members |

|1:45 |NCHRP 20-7 Proposal – Traffic Incident Management for Worker Safety |Valerie Briggs |

| | |AASHTO |

|2:00 |Immediate Responder Safety Items |Steve Austin |

| |Move Over Awareness Laws |CVVFA |

| |On-Scene Traffic Control for Inclusion in the MUTCD |Dave Helman |

| | |FHWA |

|2:30 |TIM Performance Measures Transportation Focus States Initiative Workshop |Rebecca Brewster |

| | |ATRI |

|2:45 |Member Events and Products |All Coalition Members |

| |Planning for the FHWA Planned Special Events/Traffic Incident Management Conference – December 2006 (Los | |

| |Angeles or Newport Beach, CA) | |

| |TRB Incident Management Workshop – Washington D.C., January 22, 2006 | |

| |TRB Freeway Operations Committee meeting – Washington D.C., January 22-26, 2006 | |

| |ITE 2006 Technical Conference and Exhibit – San Antonio, Texas, March 19-22, 2006 | |

| |ITS America Annual Meeting & Exposition – Location TBD, May 2006 | |

|3:00 |Conclusion |John Corbin |

| |Summary |Wisconsin DOT |

| |Review of action items | |

|3:30 |Adjourn | |

Participant List

Steve Austin, Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association

Mike Brown, International Association of Fire Chiefs

John Corbin, Wisconsin State Department of Transportation

Steve Cyra, Institute of Transportation Engineers

Henry deVries, I-95 Corridor Coalition

Rebecca Brewster, American Transportation Research Institute

Jim Goerke, National Emergency Number Association

Brett Graves, Science Applications International Corporation

Karen Haas, Manifest Inc.

David Helman, Federal Highway Administration

Valerie Briggs, American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials

Harlin McEwen, International Association of Chiefs of Police

Bill Troup, US Fire Administration

Mike Zezeski, Maryland State Highway Administration

Kevin Dopart, Mitretek Systems (representing Linda Dodge)

John Beichman, National Fire Protection Association

Paul Najarian, ITS America

Bruce Churchill, ITS America (HS & Public Safety Forum)

Earl Hardy, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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