USFA, Federal Highway Administration Complete Study of Traffic Incident Management Systems

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The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Highway Administration, working in partnership with the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) have, through a study of current traffic incident management practices and policies, updated the 2008 edition of the Traffic Incident Management Systems (TIMS) (PDF, 5 Mb) manual. The 2012 edition provides the most current technical information and training programs in traffic incident management for fire and emergency service providers in this area as well as guidance to local fire departments on compliance with the latest edition of the DOT Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

"Effective traffic incident management can enhance roadway safety for firefighters and other emergency responders of which too many have been killed on duty from being struck by vehicles," said U.S. Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell. "The USFA was pleased to work with the DOT Federal Highway Administration and IFSTA towards reducing this number."

This project included research into effective roadway operations safety and management examining such technology and practices as:

• roadway safety vests and other personal protective equipment,
• effective distance of placement of roadway warning signs,
• correct amount and type of emergency vehicle warning lighting (e.g., intensity, color, etc.), and
• roadway operations safety training.

"We're committed to enhancing the safety of firefighters and emergency responders working on our nation's roadways," said Victor Mendez, Federal Highway Administrator. "We must provide for the safety of these men and women who act selflessly to risk their lives to protect and assist the motoring public."

The updated TIMS manual includes case studies of roadway incidents that have taken the lives of firefighters, highway scene safety survival basics, incident command for roadway incidents, and examples of effective traffic incident management programs.

"Traffic incident management is an important operational and safety issue for today's fire service," said Mike Wieder, IFSTA Executive Director. "IFSTA was proud to work with USFA and the U.S. Department of Transportation in this initiative to protect firefighters operating on the roadway."

Further information about this study and other roadway safety projects may be found on the USFA website.