Why Is Incident Management Important In Metro Atlanta?75% of the daily congestion in Georgia.Atlanta has approximately 50% of the daily travel and...

Delay and CongestionAs much as 50% of congestion in Metro Atlanta is caused by non-recurring incidentsAtlantas average delay per peak road traveler is 70 hours Atlantas cost of congestion for delay time = $1.7 billion

IssuesRisk of Secondary CrashesRisk to Responders SafetyLost time and productivityReduced air qualityIncreased response time by emergency respondersEconomic impactsIncreased fuel consumptionIncreased vehicle maintenance costsIncreased cost of goods and services Reduced quality of life

What are we doing?Traffic Incident Management Enhancement (TIME) Task Force

Highway Emergency Response Operators (HERO)

The Region recognized a need and developed the Task Force in early 2002 to address the critical issues related to incident management in the Metro Atlanta region Made up of concerned incident responders from Metro Atlanta including:Transportation agenciesFireRescuePoliceTowing and recoveryEmergency medical servicesHAZMATMediaOther concerned entitiesTIME Task Force

Develop and sustain a region-wide incident management program to facilitate the safest and fastest clearance of roadway incidents, lessening the impact on emergency responders and the traveling public.

Increase public awareness of regional incident management. Develop/deliver common training for incident responders. Coordinate, communicate, cooperate between different agencies in the region.

To continue the dialogue on ways to improve inter-agency coordination and cooperation. To create an opportunity for multi-agency training which promotes teamwork. To serve as a platform for participants to develop common operational strategies and a better understanding of other agencies' roles and responsibilities.

Sub-CommitteesDevelop procedures for Major Incidents, responders and motorist safety, response and clearance policies and procedures. Accomplishments:Incident Responder DirectoryWreckmaster DemonstrationSafety Training for RespondersInteractive Exercise Internal kickoff meeting for T.I.M. TeamsWeb seminar training

Operations

Sub-CommitteesEncourage data and video information transfer between agencies and applications, encourage increase use of the Transportation management Center (TMC) and local Traffic Control Center (TCCs) to coordinate incident notification and response, develop specific policies and procedures for traffic management during incident response.Accomplishments:Governor signed Incident Management Day proclamation in GeorgiaMedia coverage at meeting and eventsEducate traveling public on TIMEPress Releases Email distributions and invitationsTIME logo distributions (stationary, pens, speaking gifts, etc)Communications

Sub-CommitteesDevelops multi-agency, multi-year strategic plans detailing specific programmatic activities to be accomplished with appropriate budget and personnel needs identified. Develop formal inter-agency agreements on operational and administrative procedures and policies. Accomplishments:ResolutionsAIR CommitteePresentationsEducate agencies and increase membership

Program & Institutional Issues

FundingCurrently, TIME is funded with the help/contribution of stakeholders particularly GDOT, GRTA, & FHWA.Annual Conferences are funded through corporate sponsorships and exhibitorsFunding for 2007 is programmed in the TIPFuture funding is anticipated through Governor's Bond Program.

2006 Task Force AccomplishmentsHeld February and May Quarterly MeetingHeld Metro Atlanta Traffic Incident Management Initiatives "Strategic Vision" Workshops sponsored with GRTA, GDOT, and FHWACreated Traffic Incident Response Matrix BrochureSponsored 2-day NIMS Training at Georgia TMCCreated a "Strategic Vision" document and presented to GDOT Commissioner, GRTA, FHWA, and the Governor's Office for approval on moving forward with incident management in Metro Atlanta.Held an initial TIM Team meeting in Canton GAConducted presentations to Georgia Coroners Associated

Metro Atlanta Strategic VisionOpen Roads PolicyIncentives for Heavy Duty RecoveryTowing Certification and Training for Tow OperatorsMedical Examiner/Coroner MOUsTIM Teams

What to expect in the future?Responder Safety TrainingAbandon Vehicle ProceduresTechnology Improvements to Accident InvestigationsMotor-Vehicle Spill PolicyLegislative Changes

A well trained technician whose primary responsibility is to expedite the clean up and removal of any congestion causing incident that occurs on the interstate system.

HERO TRAINING 300 hours of controlled environment training Minimum of 5 weeks on-the-job training

Basic Auto Mechanics Traffic Control & Incident Management Emergency Vehicle Training 1st Responder Haz-Mat Interagency Coordination Crash Victim Extrication Radio/Telephone Protocol Legal Liability Issues 1st Responder First-Aid Push Bumper Training

Highway Emergency Response Vehicle

HERO Vehicles are equipped with:Push BumpersTraffic Control DevicesFuel Transfer TankRetractable Arrow BoardJump Starting SystemHalogen Flood LightsFirst Aid KitsAir CompressorAir ToolsP.A. SystemPower InverterFloor JackHand ToolsAbsorbent MaterialsGasoline, CoolantCellular PhoneSouthern Linc & 800MHz Radios

Types of Assistance

Providing small quantities of fuelChanging flat tiresJump starting vehiclesMinor mechanical repairsProviding coolant/waterRelocating stalled vehicles (from hazardous locations)Transport stranded motoristsProvide road and travel information

Setting up traffic control and/or detour routes at major incident scenes

HERO Unit

Current HERO Staffing1 Coordinator2 Asst. Coordinator1 Administrative Coordinator1 Safety / Training Officer1 Clerk9 Shift Supervisors63 HERO Operators78 Total Employees

HERO Stats 200677,393 Total Assist11,608 wrecks65,785 other incidentsIncident detection 85%, HERO firstLane Blocking Incidents 16% (12,383)

GARY MILLSAPSGEORGIA DOTGARY.MILLSAPS@DOT.STATE.GA.US(404) 894-3857

The result of all of this vehicular travel is what you see here Representing 41% of the daily travel and 75% of the congestion in GeorgiaTTI study finds that Incident related congestion for the top 10 most congested urban areas was 218,000 to 1,295,000 veh-hrs per day41% of shoulder crashes result in injury