Emerging from discussions during several recent CIM PTC HOGs Meetings, it has become apparent that there are at least several Incident Management Team Programs just recently developed and implemented in certain Coalition Member States which are of definite interest to fellow Coalition Member States. For example, the New Jersey State Police have a program, co-sponsored by FHWA, wherein a well-trained person is assigned the specific task to go to incident scenes to assist the onscene responders in expediting the incident handling. Having such a “resident expert” on each scene to help guide responders and make suggestions pertinent to the scene activities has proven very useful in New Jersey. As another example, as a result of the handling of a May 31, 2006 90+ vehicle collision which began with a single one-car collision with a median barrier due to speeding, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol developed and implemented, as an internal Troop D guideline, a “Multi-Vehicle Collision Response Plan” and established a Major Interstate Traffic Incident Team.

This project will identify, study, and report on such Best Practices regarding IM Team Programs, beginning with North Carolina and New Jersey, and then proceeding to study other IM Team programs. The sharing of these practices throughout the Corridor will assist Member States in identifying and potentially establishing such programs. To be included within this project’s study are such items as: identification and description of dedicated IM Team Programs in the Corridor and, as practical, throughout the United States and internationally; IM Team protocols for major events and incidents; how to establish and enact the programs including necessary training and operational implementation; and source identification and analysis of statistics provided by involved entities to assess the impact of the IM Team programs (e.g., New Jersey monthly statistics reporting). Project deliverables, at a minimum, will include:

1) Study Results Report including identification and description of Best Practices regarding IM Team Programs; Protocols for major events/incidents handling; Training and Certification; Safety Issues; Communications; Response Requirements, including consideration of inappropriate (volunteer) response; Assignments of Teams when not responding to incidents/events; Reporting Requirements; Incident Timelines; Incident Command practices including such items as staging of tow operators; and synopses of how these best practices coalesce with the Coalition’s Quick Clearance Program as well as the National Traffic Incident Management Coalition’s National Unified Goal.

2) An interdisciplinary Information Exchange Forum to present the project findings. Activities associated with this forum include identification and recruitment of pertinent forum interdisciplinary attendees such as police, fire, EMS, etc., all forum logistics, agenda establishment and speaker recruitment, and arranging for and conducting the forum.

Procurement Agency: DRPA/New York State Police
Project Contact: Karl Ziemer and Sgt. Ira Promisel CIM PTC Co-Chairs, DRPA/New York State Police.

Educate Coalition Members on new and innovative IM Team Programs so that they may assess and implement, as applicable, similar programs throughout the Corridor.

View PDF file of Scope of Project.

For this report, the project Team met with and interviewed TIM Team representatives from states throughout the Coalition as well as several states elsewhere to gather background information and to learn about Teams’ accomplishments and implementation methods. From these interviews, the Team identified the Best Practices included in this report. While many of these Best Practices are included in the report, these are by no means exhaustive and were included only as examples to help demonstrate the kinds of activities occurring throughout the Coalition and beyond. This report gives TIM stakeholders an overview of those Best Practices in existence and information on who to contact to gain additional details. It is designed to be used as a guide to help TIM Teams everywhere implement those practices to improve their operations.

View Project Completion/Closeout Form.

Not surprisingly, the research into TIM Teams throughout the Corridor, and elsewhere, yielded some fascinating results. Perhaps the most common thread connecting Teams everywhere—from large, well established Teams to those just getting off the ground—is the unyielding dedication and passion of TIM Team leaders and members. These individuals truly believe in the benefits of coordinated incident management, and they devote large amounts of time and energy—often on a volunteer basis—to TIM initiatives. These individuals are crossing boundaries and encouraging interaction and strong working relationships among stakeholders who, in the past, may not always have seen eye to eye, and that’s, fundamentally what TIM Teams are about—exercising the “4-Cs” of TIM (communication, cooperation, coordination, and consensus).

$135,000