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Evaluation Results Summary: National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training Program

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U.S. Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration (logo)

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Operations
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
ops.fhwa.dot.gov

March 2019
FHWA-HOP-19-032


TIM Training Survey Types

Reaction

Identifies whether the course materials and their delivery are effective, or if they need to be revised or enhanced.

Learning

Determines the effectiveness of the training in terms of how the student comprehends and retains the course information.

Behavior

Provides an understanding of whether or not students implement the TIM procedures and strategies provided in the training.

Results

Presents the operational benefits derived from the training programs.

In 2012, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) launched the National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training Program. The TIM training program was developed by responders for responders and promotes consistent training of all responders to achieve the following three objectives.

  • Responder safety,
  • Safe, quick clearance, and
  • Prompt, reliable, interoperable communications.

The program includes a Train-the-Trainer (TtT) course that provides participants (i.e., trainers) the knowledge and materials necessary for them to conduct TIM training for TIM responders in their area, typically through use of the four-hour version of the training. Additionally, the National Highway Institute offers a free Web-Based Training (WBT) version of the four-hour TIM training course. Additional information about the training program is available at https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/eto_tim_pse/about/tim.htm.

To assess participant learning and to capture the impacts of the training on operations, FHWA developed a suite of surveys that cover reaction, learning, behavior and results. The surveys were administered using either hard copies during training sessions or through an online tool.

Following is a summary of the survey results captured between January 2016 and August 2017.

Reaction Survey Results

Course evaluation surveys, for both TtT and responder training participants, were designed to solicit training participant feedback regarding training content and the instructor immediately following course participation.

During the 20 month assessment period, 381 TtT course evaluations and 290 responder training course evaluations were collected. Additionally, the TtT course evaluation was the only survey that was developed when the training program was originally launched in late 2012. The results of the nearly 3,700 TtT course evaluations collected between 2012 and 2017 are also included in the summary provided below.

All training participants were asked to rate if they agreed/disagreed with the following statement:

This course helped me further appreciate the responder and motorist safety element of TIM and how quick clearance also promotes safety.

Chart shows that 73.4% strongly agree and 24.9% agree with the statement above.
Training Course Ratings
No Value From Train-the-Trainer
session participants
From responder training
session participants
Overall training and content 97.6% positive 93.2% positive
Instructor(s)/trainer(s) 99.3% positive 95.6% positive
Training materials 96.6% positive No Value

Learning Survey Results

Prior to attending a TIM training session, participants were asked to complete the appropriate pre-test to assess their existing knowledge. Then, immediately following a training session, participants were asked to complete the appropriate post-test to assess their TIM knowledge after receiving the training. For the responder training course, there was an 81.5 percent improvement in scores pre-training to post-training, indicating the course effectively increased participants' knowledge of TIM.

No Value Average number of
questions correct
Total number
of questions
Percent
correct
Train-the-trainer Course
Pre-test 12.04 20 60.2%
Post-test 33.83 40 84.6%
Percent Improvement 40.5%
Responder Training Course
Pre-test 4.28 10 42.8%
Post-test 15.54 20 77.7%
Percent Improvement 81.5%

Behavior Survey Results

Approximately three months after attending a training session, participants and their supervisors were asked to take a survey that assessed the impact the training has had on participant behavior. A total of 434 individuals, 374 participants and 59 participant supervisors, from 28 States completed this survey.

In addition to identifying changes in behavior, the survey results also highlighted areas where TIM practices were already in place prior to participation in a training session. Specifically, 62.8 percent of participants and 54.2 percent of supervisors indicated that use of high-visibility safety apparel was already implemented prior to receiving the training.

The table below summarizes responses for several key metrics in the survey.

Survey Participants by Discipline - Towing and Recovery (small sliver), Transportation/Public Works (almost one-third), Other (small sliver), Law Enforcement (a little less than one-third), Fire/Rescue/EMS (over one-third).
Since receiving the training, how would you... Training
Participant
Supervisor
Describe your/your staff's overall level of safety when working at traffic incident scenes? 80.5%
more safe
74.6%
more safe
Describe your/your staff's awareness and efforts to minimize secondary crashes at traffic incident scenes? 86.9%
more aware
72.9%
more aware
Rate the sense of urgency that you personally/your staff use to quickly clear traffic incidents from the roadway? 60.3%
more urgency
44.1%
more urgency
Describe your/your staff's awareness and behavior when working around moving traffic and the "zero buffer"? 74.3%
more aware
52.5%
more aware
Describe your/your staff's safety practices when exiting your/their responder vehicle at traffic incidents? 61.7%
more safe
55.9%
more safe
Describe your/your staff's awareness of evidence preservation and investigative functions at traffic incident scenes? 51.8%
more aware
41.1%
more aware
Describe your/your staff's use of the Move It or Work It concept? 55.9%
more used
47.5%
more used
Describe your/your staff's use of the safe-positioning guidance provided by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices? 57.8%
more used
55.9%
more used
Describe your/your staff's use of Lane +1 blocking to protect incident responders who require additional lateral space for safety? 55.5%
more used
39.0%
more used

Results Survey Results

Six months to a year after personnel attend a TIM training session, agency administrators, senior management and/or the State or regional points of contact, were asked to complete a results survey. The TIM training results survey assessed the impact on and operational benefits realized by an agency/ organization that has sent their personnel through the TIM training. Agencies and organizations from 21 States returned a total of 55 results surveys.

Key Metrics
92.5 percent of respondents believe that overall agency operations have been improved as a result of personnel attending the TIM training.
96.3 percent of respondents believe that overall safety at traffic incidents has been improved as a result of personnel attending the TIM training.
87.0 percent of respondents believe that coordination among different agencies at traffic incident scenes has improved since the TIM training.
96.3 percent of respondents indicated that their agency/ organization has a written policy/directive requiring all personnel to wear high-visibility safety apparel when responding to incidents.
90.7 percent of respondents indicated that response vehicles are equipped with traffic cones, flares or other channelizing devices.
Survey Participants by Discipline - Towing and Recovery (appears to be about 10%), Transportation/Public Works (almost one-third), Other (small sliver), Law Enforcement (a little less than one-third), Fire/Rescue/EMS (one-fourth).

An additional measure of the success of the TIM training course in affecting change is the integration of the TIM policies and procedures taught as part of the curriculum into standard TIM practice. Respondents were asked to rate the degree to which they agree or disagree that the law or concept listed had been integrated into the written policies/procedures/directives followed by their agency/organization.

Chart showing percent of strongly agree/agree that law/concept is incorporated in their agency/organization: Safe positioning of vehicles - 90.7%; Move It or Work It - 85.1%; Lane +1 blocking - 81.3%; Incident command system (ICS) - 79.5%; Use of common response terminology - 79.4%; Use of tapers at traffic incident scenes - 75.7%; providing advance warning at traffic incident scenes - 73.8%; Windshield size-up reports and regular progress reports - 66.3%; Authority Removal Law - 66.3%; Driver Removal Law - 59.8%.
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