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Third Senior Executive Transportation and Public Safety Summit: Final Report

5. Accelerating Traffic Incident Management Responder Training

This session moderated by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Operations Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Program Manager James Austrich, highlighted the successful training of nearly 450,000 responders through the in-person and online National TIM Responder Training program. Training delivery spans train-the-trainer sessions, in-person responder training, and web-based delivered through the FHwA National Highway Institute, the Emergency Responder Safety Institute, and other platforms, as illustrated in Figure 14.

Figure 14 is a graphic that shows National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training Program Implementation Progress by training delivery and percent trained by State as of November 10, 2019.
Figure 14. Graphic. National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training program implementation progress by training delivery and percent trained by State as of November 10, 2019.
Source: Federal Highway Administration

This training has been adopted by and delivered among 117 Academies, mandated for fire, police, and emergency medical service (EMS) personnel in a few States, accredited by Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE) and provided by regional and State TIM committees. Participants and presenters discussed how everyone at the summit could and should help reach the goal of one million responders trained by encouraging constituents, members, academies, and TIM committees to institutionalize this training.

CAPCE Executive Director Jay Scott, shared a little of the history of the EMS continuing education accrediting body. Founded nearly three decades ago and rebranded in 2016, CAPCE offers course accreditation, but does not deliver the curriculum. Instead, it provides a list of CAPCE accredited educational providers. Over one million individuals have completed CAPCE accredited courses from January 2019 to November 2019, an increase of nine percent from the previous year. Mr. Scott shared that the successful adjudication by CAPCE for the National TIM Responder Training curriculum paves the way for greater numbers of EMS responders to receive TIM training.

David Covington, Fire Chief Emeritus from Schertz Fire Rescue in San Antonio, Texas, shared how their State mandated TIM training through Texas Administration Code, Rule 435.29, in the year 2015. The Texas Commission on Fire Protection, a Board appointed by the Governor with jurisdiction of 737 regulated departments, championed this mandate. The code requires all regulated fire protection personnel to complete the National TIM Responder Training course, or an equivalent commission- approved course, before December 1, 2020. Chief Covington also shared how the Texas State Firemen's and Fire Marshal's Association (SFFMA), which represents volunteer firefighters, also made the National TIM Responder training a part of their curriculum with the same adherence goal.

Chief Joe Kroboth III, is the 1st Vice President of the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association (CVVFA) and a Charter Member of the Responder Safety Institute. He discussed strategies for expanding TIM training within Fire Emergency Services in their region and the advocacy and training value generated through ResponderSafety. Created as a committee of the CVVFA, the Institute publicizes news stories related to broader TIM topics, line of duty deaths, struck by incidents. Additionally, the Institute develops educational materials that support responder safety training and makes available informational resources related to TIM.

International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST) Executive Director Michael Becar discussed the association's role in promoting TIM responder training. Mr. Becar, shown in Figure 15, shared that IADLESTendorses the National TIM Responder Training. IADLESTincludes Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Directors of every State; and that this group delivers training notifications to every law enforcement academy, officer, and agency in a State. IADLEST also offers the National Law Enforcement Academy Resource Network (NLEARN), a web-enabled platform with over 6,800 members as a useful mechanism to promote TIM responder training.

The panel spoke to opportunities to reenergize and reengage responder communities to commit to the goal of one million responders being trained.

Figure 15 is a photo that shows the “Accelerating Traffic Incident Management Responder” training panel (Michael Becar, Jim Austrich, Jay Scott, Chief Joseph Kroboth III, and Chief David Covington).
Figure 15 . Photo. Accelerating Traffic Incident Management Responder Training panel (left to right: Michael Becar, Jim Austrich, Jay Scott, Chief Joseph Kroboth III, and Chief David Covington).
Source: Federal Highway Administration