News Archive

California Highway Patrol Calls For Safety Review - 03/15/2006
The California Highway Patrol announces a safety review and stand down for two days to improve and refresh safety practices. Link to the Officer.com website. (Release date February 28, 2006)

Florida Department Tries To Educate Drivers To Move Aside For Officers - 03/15/2006
This article discusses efforts by police in Florida to increase awareness and understanding of state law that requires motorists to move over when passing officers on the side of the road. Link to Officer.com website. (Release date March 9, 2006)

Traffic Signal Preemption for Emergency Vehicles: A Cross-Cutting Study (2/06) - 03/03/2006
This article discusses the findings from the FHWA and NTHSA report about the emergency vehicle preemption (EVP) which examines the costs, benefits, extent of deployment, technology options and lessons learned in three EVP examples. Link to the Transportation Research Board web site.

Washington Cracking Down on Non-Yielders - 03/03/2006
Washington State is beginning a multi-agency effort to crack down on drivers who do not pull over for emergency first responder vehicles. Go to this article at Firehouse.com to read about enforcement of Washington's law requiring drivers to yield to emergency vehicles. Link to the Firehouse.com website. (Release date February 24, 2006)

Road Ranger Benefit-Cost Analysis (February 2006) - 03/03/2006
This report from the Florida DOT discusses the Road Ranger service patrol and the related costs and benefits.

House Judiciary Committee Decides Favorably on "Quick Clearance" Bill: Bill Addresses Need to Open Up Interstates and Parkways After Accidents - 03/03/2006
This article discusses the "Quick Clearance" legislation in Kentucky which is designed to address problems related to congestion after traffic incidents and improve highway safety. Link to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet web site. (Release date February 15, 2006)

VDOT Launches New 511 Email Alert Service: Motorists have access to instant information on the latest road conditions - 03/03/2006
Read this update about the expansions of the 511 service in Virginia to include email alerts and text message alerts to travelers in the state. Link to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) web site. (Release date February 13, 2006)

CVVFA Emergency Responder Safety Institute Calls for New Vest Standard - 09/12/2005
This article discusses the Emergency Response Safety Institute's (ERSI) request for a new standard for a 'public safety vest' which would affect vests used by all emergency responders. (Release date August 17, 2005)

MUTCD Part 6 - 09/12/2005
The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) announces several webinars for September including the continuing Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) series and a session on Temporary Traffic Control for Urban Areas.

Highway Incident Scene Safety Course for First Responders October 15th in Level MD - 09/12/2005
The Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association (CVVFA) announces the course that will be offered on October 15th at the VFD in Level MD. (Release date September 1, 2005)

FEMA Seeks End of Complicated Dispatch 10 Codes - 09/12/2005
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends a consistent system of codes for communication rather than the varying numerical codes that exist currently by police and other emergency officials. (Release date August 29, 2005)

Evacuation Planning, Human Factors, and Traffic Engineering: Developing Systems for Training and Effective Response - 07/26/2005
Transportation Research Board (TRB) announces the feature in the May-June 2005 issue of TR News which examines evacuation planning including routing, traffic management plans in response to incidents, and other key issues. Link to TRB website. (Release date July 18, 2005)

Tennessee Officials Worry 'Move Over' Law Not Protecting Traffic Officers - 07/26/2005
This article on Officer.com discusses whether the 'move over' law in Tennessee is working and the safety of officers when vehicles do not obey the law. Link to the Officer.com website. (Release date July 21, 2005)

DDOT Successfully Tests Emergency Traffic Signals and Emergency Routes (July 5, 2005) - 07/18/2005
The District Department of Transportation announces the successful testing of their emergency traffic signal timing for emergency/evacuation routes. The program is called Operation Fast Forward. Link to the District Department of Transportation.

Best Practices for Traffic Incident Management in Florida (June 22, 2005) - 07/18/2005
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) announces the release of a report from the Florida Department of Transportation that examines traffic incident management throughout the country and within Florida. Link to the TRB website.

Move Over Kentucky, It's the Law! Transportation Cabinet reminds motorists of "Move Over" Law (July 1, 2005) - 07/18/2005
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announces the use of 'Move Over' signs to remind motorists that it is the law to move out of the way when they see the flashing lights of law enforcement, emergency services, or public safety vehicles. Link to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet website.

Connecticut "E-Alert" Traffic System has 4,091 Subscribers in First Three Months (June 23, 2005) - 07/18/2005
ITS America discusses the Government Technology article that reports on the use of the Connecticut DOT statewide traffic incident notification system. Link to the ITS America website.

FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL AND FLORIDA'S TURNPIKE ENTERPRISE DETAIL THE ONE-WAY (CONTRA-FLOW) EVACUATION PLAN FOR THE 2005 HURRICANE SEASON: Plan leads motorists to Central Florida and beyond - 06/16/2005
Read about Florida Highway Patrol and Turnpike Enterprise's plans for contra-flow hurricane evacuation. It provides detailed evacuation information and downloadable fact-sheets to reduce confusion and improve evacuation in the event of a Category 4 or 5 hurricane.

NCDOT to Install Move It On Over Signs in New Hanover and Duplin Counties: Signs to Educate Motorists About Law to Protect Emergency Personnel - 06/16/2005
The North Carolina DOT announces the installation of signs to encourage motorists to move over or reduce speed for stopped emergency vehicles. The signs will be installed in four counties. A link is also provided for more information about North Carolina's Move Over law.

TDOT's HELP Program Celebrates Five Years of Helping Motorists - 06/02/2005
Tennessee DOT discusses the HELP program which is celebrating 5 years of providing roadside assistance and highway congestion mitigation. Over 150,000 motorists have been served by the program.

Kansas Governor Announces Ground Breaking Communications Project - 06/01/2005
Read about the project Kansas DOT and Kansas Highway Patrol is undertaking to enhance the ability of first responders to communicate with each other during crises and routine interactions in a 17 county area of southeastern Kansas.

Houston Mayor White Announces Freeway Accident Reductions due to Safe Clear Program for Traffic Incident Management - 04/12/2005
For information on Safe Clear, go to the City of Houston Safe Clear site, http://www.houstontx.gov/safeclear/

SC Department of Transportation, SC Department of Public Safety, and FHWA Unveil New Highway Signs to Kickoff Awareness Campaign - 04/12/2005
SCDOT and the SC Division of FHWA and SC Department of Public Safety work together to promote the new highway safety law about steer-it and clear-it.

NY/NJ/CT Metropolitan Region Launches Multi-Modal, Multi-Agency Traveler Assistance System - 04/12/2005
Announces the traveler information system unveiled in the NY, NJ, and CT corridor which offers multi-modal, multi-agency transportation information and planning.

Transportation for Emergency Response & Recovery Checklist - 04/12/2005
This is a follow-up checklist to the ITE Transportation for Emergency Response & Recovery PowerPoint presentation for transportation professionals to use in planning. Link to ITE web site.

Transportation for Emergency Response & Recovery - 04/12/2005
This is a PowerPoint presentation produced by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and FHWA to provide an overview of transportation professionals' roles in emergency response and recovery. Link to the ITE web site.

Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) 2005 ITE Technical Conference and Exhibit Presentations - 03/16/2005
The ITE 2005 ITE Technical Conference and Exhibit Presentations have been posted on ITE's website. Session 9 contains two Traffic Incident Management presentations, "Using Photogrammetry for Expediting Incident Clearance" and "Quick Clearance Legislation: Using the Law to Enhance Traffic Incident Management".

Safety Service Patrol expansion underway Around-the-clock assistance returns for motorists on Hampton Roads interstates (March 9, 2005) - 03/15/2005
Virginia Department of Transportation announces the expansion of Safety Service Patrollers, incidence response teams, to provide 24 hour a day service to travelers and commuters in the Hampton Roads area.

Chicago Believes Traffic is Ready for Reform (March 6, 2005) - 03/15/2005
The Public Technology Institute re-publishes this article from the Chicago Tribune, which discusses efforts from around the country that Chicago is looking at to improve traffic congestion and problems caused during traffic incidents. Topics include required response times for tow trucks and smart traffic signals.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Supporting "Quick Clearance" Bill - 03/14/2005
Description of the Kentucky Senate Bill 59 that would allow for fast clearance of accidents on interstates and parkways. Link to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet news release (February 25, 2005).

United States Fire Administration (USFA), United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), and International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) Ink a Cooperative Agreement on Traffic Incident Management Research (Winter 04-05) - 03/14/2005
IFSTA discusses the new cooperative agreement between USFA, USDOT, and IFSTA and Fire Protection Publications that seeks to develop research and effective technical guidance for fire and emergency responders in Traffic Incident Management Systems.

Hazardous Materials for First Responders (Winter 04-05) - 03/14/2005
The International Fire Service Training Association discusses the release of the third edition of Hazardous Materials for First Responders which is a text designed to reference for first responders who are Awareness and/or Operational-Level responders to hazardous materials incidents.

Trucking Companies Say Highway Advisory Radio and Road Weather Information Systems Made Them Safer - 02/17/2005
The Washington State Department of Transportation deployed improved road weather information systems (RWIS) and highway advisory radio (HAR) on a remote section of US-395 north of Spokane, Washington. The surveys focused on trip timing, trip routing, and level of preparedness.

Cooperative Agreements for Corridor Management - 02/17/2005
Transportation Research Board's (TRB) National Cooperative Highway Research Program Synthesis 337: Cooperative Agreements for Corridor Management. Link to the publication on the TRB web site.

U.S. Department of Transportation Summary of ITS Integration Projects is Online - 02/02/2005
The U.S. Department of Transportation's ITS Joint Program Office has made available the latest online edition of it's Summary of ITS Integration Projects.

FEMA Releases NIMS Compliance Assessment Tool for Federal, State, Local and Tribal Agencies - 02/02/2005
The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency and the NIMS Integration Center have released a Web-based self-assessment system that will allow federal, state, tribal and local departments and agencies evaluate their incident preparedness and response capabilities. The voluntary system, the National Incident Management Compliance Assessment Support Tool, or NIMCAST, will also help users determine what they need to do to comply with National Incident Management System (NIMS) requirements. Link to press release (January 31, 2005) from the International Fire Chiefs Association.

New Jersey Demonstrates Capacity for Enhanced Inter-Agency Communications - 02/02/2005
Link to news release (January 19, 2005) from the State of New Jersey - Office of the Attorney General.

MONITOR Projects (updated January 5, 2005) - 01/10/2005
Describes the Monitor 6A project, Integrated Corridor Operations Project, and Traffic Incident Management programs in Wisconsin.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge Announces Completion of the National Response Plan - 01/10/2005
Link to press release (January 6, 2005) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

FEMA Announces New National Response Plan (NRP) Online Training - 01/10/2005
This course introduces emergency management practitioners to the NRP, including the concept of operations upon which the plan is built, the roles and responsibilities of the key players, and the organizational structures used to manage response resources. The NRP provides a framework to further ensure all response elements work together whenever this nation and residents are threatened.

Chiaramonte Completes Highway Safety Curriculum for Trainers - 12/29/2004
Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association (CVVFA) First Responder training outlines best practices in highway incident scene safety.

How Safe Are YOU Working Roadway Incidents? - 12/29/2004
An article on incident scene safety with a link to NIOSH recommendations on safety at traffic incident scenes.

FEMA/USFA and DOT Initiate Study of Traffic Incident Management Systems (TIMS) - 12/29/2004
A press release from the United States Fire Administration regarding a joint effort with the Federal Highway Administration.

First responders seek common lingo XML serves as base of new language - 12/29/2004
Discusses the efforts to establish a new base language for first responders to allow the exchange of information among groups and efforts to overcome traditional communication barriers.

Crashes Set in Motion a Network of Response - 04/28/2004

Quick Removal Law Has Impact On Secondary Crashes - 04/27/2004

New Mile Marker Signage to Assist with Locating Freeway Incidents, April 22, 2004 - 04/22/2004

Combined Traffic and Emergency Communications - 04/03/2004
Combined Traffic and Emergency Communications Center (CTECC) recognized for organization and efficiency.

Tanker Truck Fire Reinforces the Fire Service Role - 03/26/2004
Tanker Truck Fire Reinforces the Fire Service Role in Critical Infrastructure Protection.