Safe Incident Management Work Zones

SPO C. R. Moore Atlanta Police Department Special Operations Section Hit & Run / Traffic Fatality Unit x121

Average Number of First Responder Fatalities annually while working Traffic incidents Fire and EMS: 6 to 8 annually Police: 10 to 12 annually Tow &Recovery: 50 annually

Definition : Incident Management Work Zone Federal Highway Administrations Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Section 61.01

A traffic incident is an emergency road user occurrence, a natural disaster, or other unplanned event that affects or impedes the normal flow of traffic.

A traffic incident management area is an area of a highway where temporary traffic controls are imposed by authorized officials in response to a road user incident…

It is a type of temporary traffic control zone and extends from the first warning devise to the last temporary traffic control device…

…or to a point where vehicles return to the original lane alignment and clear of the incident.

Three General Classes of Duration A.Major – expected duration of more than two hours B.Intermediate – expected duration of 30 minutes to 2 hours C.Minor – expected duration under thirty minutes

Primary Functions of Incident Management Work Zones 1.Move the motorist safely and expeditiously past or around the incident. 2.Reduce the likelihood of secondary traffic crashes 3.Preclude unnecessary use of the surrounding road system.

Five areas of the Incident Management Work Zones 1. Advance Warning Area – This allows for a safe reduction of speed for vehicles approaching the incident.

Five areas of the Incident Management Work Zones 35 mph – mph – mph – mph – Advance Warning Area

2. Transition Area - to funnel vehicles from multiple lanes into a flowing reduced lane. Five areas of the Incident Management Work Zones

3. Lateral Buffer Zone – creates an extra margin of safety. Incident Lane + 1 Five areas of the Incident Management Work Zones

4. Work Area – This is the safe zone for citizens involved in the incident as well as first responders. Five areas of the Incident Management Work Zones

5. Termination Area – releases traffic back to its normal flow. Five areas of the Incident Management Work Zones

Safe Positioning of Vehicles 1.30 degrees with the front of the vehicle facing away from the traffic 2.Wheels should be turned towards the road edge so if the vehicle is struck it will not roll out into traffic

To position an apparatus or vehicle at an angle to halt the flow of moving traffic in one or more lanes. Blocking

This covers the 4 th stage (Work Area) of the Incident Management Work Zone. All work on the incident will take place within the shadow. Shadow

A Multiple Vehicle Freeway Collision with Commercial Vehicle & Bus All Lanes Blocked

School Bus Tractor – trailer 6 Vehicle Incident – All Lanes Blocked Passenger Cars

Police Units Arrive: Establish Incident Command & Temporarily block all lanes until a Incident Management Work Zone can be established. Example : Quick Clearance Using Incident Management Work Zones

HERO arrives and Establishes Incident Management Work Zone on both sides of the Incident Police Units: Re-deployed inside Incident Management Work Zone Re-open 1 Lane: HERO & Police to direct traffic through scene

EMS Arrives. Parks inside Shadow and close to Injured. Shadow

HERO Re-deployed inside Incident Management Work Zone Example : Quick Clearance Using Incident Management Work Zones 2 Battalion 6 Engines 2 Ladder Trucks Fire Apparatus arrive. Incident Command transferred to Fire.

Tow Service Arrives. Parks inside Incident Management Work Zone. Example : Quick Clearance Using Incident Management Work Zones

Bus arrives to transport occupants of Damaged Bus off Scene. Parks inside Incident Management Work Zone EMS Transports injured to Hospital Example : Quick Clearance Using Incident Management Work Zones Paramedic Engines, Ladder Trucks, and 1 Battalion go back in service

Occupants of Bus transported off Scene First 2 Vehicle Towed from Scene. Priority – Vehicle blocking far right lane & Tractor trailer. Example : Quick Clearance Using Incident Management Work Zones

Break down Incident Management Work Zone on Right side of roadway. Shrink size of existing Incident Management Work Zone on left side of roadway. Open 3 lanes using Emergency lane for travel Re-Deploy Police & HERO to Incident Management Work Zone on Left Side of Roadway. Police Unit deployed on right side go back in service Example : Quick Clearance Using Incident Management Work Zones Remaining Fire Units go back in service. Incident Command transferred to Police.

Tow Service Arrives. Parks inside Incident Management Work Zone. Example : Quick Clearance Using Incident Management Work Zones

The Bus and 2 more Vehicles Removed from the Scene. Example : Quick Clearance Using Incident Management Work Zones

Shrink size of existing Incident Management Work Zone. Shrink size of existing Incident Management Work Zone. Open 4 lanes. Stop using Emergency lane for travel One Hero Unit and all Police Unit except 1 go back in service.

Final Tow Truck arrives.

Final Vehicle Towed from Scene.

Breaking Down the Incident Management Work Zone. First remove cones. Vehicles then clear scene – 1, 2,

All Lanes Open

SPO C. R. Moore Atlanta Police Department Special Operations Section Hit & Run / Traffic Fatality Unit x121