Coming together to save lives: Oregon’s 2018 Annual Traffic Incident Management Conference

By: Tyger Liner

On September 13th, responders from across the nation gathered at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in Salem to talk about Traffic Incident Management best practices and strategies. Jointly sponsored by ODOT, Oregon State Police and the Federal Highway Administration, our 2018 Annual TIM Conference saw the largest turnout and most national partners in its history.

When Darin Weaver, ODOT Incident Management Coordinator, first started this conference in 2011 the event looked very different. “There were only 12 people in a room and I brought a cake,” Weaver joked. Since then, our annual TIM conference has grown tremendously and  achieved national recognition.

This year, 82 attendees from all response disciplines participated, including fire, police, DOTs, tow and cities and counties. TIM Champions from around the nation also joined, with attendees from Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Oklahoma, Texas, Maryland and New York. Check out the conference recap!

Traffic Incident Management is vital to our highway system and saves lives, time and money. Crashes and “struck-by” incidents continue to be a leading cause of on-duty injuries and deaths for first responders on highway incidents, which is why Oregon’s TIM program brings responders together to train as a team with a common goal: safe, quick clearance. The pay-off is significant: effective TIM helps clear roadways faster which results in less congestion, less time spent in backups, fewer secondary crashes and fewer insurance claims leading to less financial loss due to highway incidents.

The conference is all about responders sharing their experiences and knowledge

The all-day event featured three keynote speakers from across the country. Scott Yinger served as a Maryland State Trooper for 27 ½ years before he retired and became a part of the Maryland State Highway Administration’s Office of Coordinated Highways Action Response Team & ITS Development in 2011. Now Deputy Director for CHART, he shared how Maryland continues to advance its program, which is on pace to manage over 65,000 incidents and assists this year alone, and includes managing traffic for high profile events in the Washington D.C. area.

Terry Morrison, the owner of Mr. T’s Towing and Repair in Bozeman, Montana and President of the Montana Tow Truck Association, discussed the benefits of partner collaboration. In a state like Montana with lots of area to cover but few responders to cover it, collaborating with partners is crucial to setting up safe scenes and using strategies that save lives.

Captain Jason “Bear” Wilson with the Houston Fire Department spoke about the process of institutionalizing TIM training and the benefits of the program to both responders and tax payers. With over 23 years of public safety and incident management experience, Wilson has received the Firefighter of the year award for his service during Hurricane Katrina and a Medal of Valor for his service at the World Trade Center after the September 11 attacks. He has personally trained over 2,500 first responders and knows firsthand the challenges of building buy-in for TIM. He reminded participants to challenge those who resist change for the better, and particularly the phrase “that’s the way we have always done it,” a message that resonated with one ODOT attendee in particular.

“I am going to take that back and really focus on what other folks are doing and not just think about how we’ve always done it, but how we can improve,” explained Jeremiah Griffin, ODOT Region 3 Assistant District Manager.

“Oregon has become a national leader”

Paul Jodoin, FHWA Traffic Management Program Manager, provided a high level update on the TIM program nationwide before recognizing Oregon’s progress.

“Oregon has become a national leader and great example for TIM programs around the country. Thank you for being that leader,” he said.

Oregon’s 2018 Annual TIM Conference was a huge success and set the stage for continuing to improve collaboration across disciplines. The chance to collaborate with different agencies and focus on how to safely and efficiently clear roadways will continue to help save lives and create a safer environment for the traveling public and first responders.

Passion

When someone has a passion to serve, they aren’t content to settle. They aren’t content with the status quo. They aren’t going to sit idly by. They make things happen, they find where their skills can be used and apply them. They passionately build strong teams, communities, states and nations by sharing their skills, empowering others and communicating with all. They are relentless in their pursuits and we are all better for it.

It’s not often you meet someone with such a passion for service. Someone like Sonia Lawrence from the City of Salem Police Department, who began as a firefighter and transitioned to a police officer seven years later.  Someone who is passionate about the honor and value in their profession and has the heart to look for the good that can be done each day. Someone who’s daily goal is to help people and ensure they see her and her profession in a positive light.

Today is your lucky day. Read on to see firsthand Sonia’s passion for service.

Q: What are some of the ways you partner with other responders to keep the traveling public safe? 

A: As part of community policing, we now use information and communication technology to network with community members or to provide quick links to community services. Salem has a high following on social media that allows citizens to be made aware of incidents in the area. Through training and communication all responders are responsible for conducting a risk-benefit analysis for the responder’s own safety, a secondary risk-benefit analysis for the public’s safety and the capability of notifying the correct resources for the job.

Q: In your experience, what is critical to clearing an incident safely and quickly?

A: An incident action plan of equipment and resources as well as communication. The ability to secure the incident site to protect emergency personnel, their equipment and the public from hazardous situations, as well as adequate warning and reaction time.

Q: What are some of the ways we can strengthen the communication, coordination and collaboration between response partners?

A: Really communication, coordination and collaboration are increased through networking and training. The more we meet, discuss and train, the more we will think of these events globally.

Q: As many don’t know, you are well travelled throughout your career.  What are some things that you have picked up elsewhere and brought with you to Oregon?

A: I found Oregon to be advanced in training compared to other states. I was able to integrate accountability into the fire service in Tennessee. When I was hired they attempted to document the process on a piece of paper. I was approached by TN City Law Enforcement to work as a Swat Medic. They felt it took less time to train me as a Swat Team member than send a Swat member to receive medical training.

The disposition of any fire service interaction with law enforcement often depends on training, relationships and a clear understanding of the interests of those involved. The key to success in response is the agencies’ abilities to work together well. Law Enforcement in Tennessee utilized local Fire Departments to assist with Incident Command at the command post. I want to encourage training opportunities among local agencies to include Fire, Police, EMS, ODOT and local tow companies to be prepared to respond together.

Q: How is your agency investing in Traffic Incident Management?  What benefits are you seeing?

A: Our Traffic Unit Officer attends the quarterly TIM meetings held regionally. It is a meeting that involves partners from the local area such as ODOT, OSP, local law enforcement agencies and tow companies etc. At these meetings they discuss recent incidents and how they may have been done better or if they were done well. Also, short training classes are given to attendees. The most recent one was what TIM is about.

Why we are here

We work in dangerous professions that test our luck and challenge our safety on a daily basis. We often invoke a football analogy that we are always on the defense—we never get the ball and an opportunity to score—because we are constantly at a disadvantage and always watching our backs. We all have or have heard of incidents where responders were struck and killed while working a roadway incident.  Not bruised and lucky to be alive, but rather struck and killed. These are the ones that do not go home to hug their significant others and children at the end of their shifts. 

Check out our Struck Bys & Near Misses booklet. These are the stories of responders that have experienced close-calls—the kind that remind us to never underestimate “D” drivers or the power of complacency. The difference is they made it home and are able to share their stories. Each story offers a learning opportunity.

Have a story to share? Please email us your story and any pictures or video to timtraining@odot.state.or.us. We’ll be sharing struck bys and near misses on our Facebook page to serve as reminders of why we are here—why we are all a part of the TIM team.