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2012 Senior Executive Transportation and Public Safety Summit

Traffic Incident Management

2012 Senior Executive Transportation & Public Safety Summit Report

The 2012 Senior Executive Transportation & Public Safety Summit Report summarizes the proceedings, findings, and recommendations from a two-day Senior Executive Summit on Transportation and Public Safety, held June 26 and 27, 2012 at the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) in Washington, D.C.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) hosted a two-day summit on advancing the culture of Traffic Incident Management (TIM) throughout the country. U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Raymond LaHood and Federal Highway Deputy Administrator Greg Nadeau welcomed the group and provided opening remarks demonstrating the commitment of FHWA and USDOT senior executives in support of safe, quick traffic incident responses on the Nation's roadways. Participants convened at the USDOT Headquarters Building on June 26 and 27, 2012. Those attending this summit included approximately 52 national leaders in the fields of transportation, law enforcement, fire/rescue, emergency medical services and their related associations.

The forum of senior-level, multi-disciplinary executives addressed the difficult challenges and discussed innovative solutions to help enhance TIM strategies related to TIM policies and procedures. The group also discussed the effectiveness of State and local legislation on Safe, Quick Clearance and needed outreach to TIM practitioners and motorists to ensure maximum public and responder safety and compliance with laws. The agenda included a discussion of national TIM training needed to prepare stakeholders to adopt a forward-focused approach to safely and efficiently plan for and execute traffic incident operations.

Issues addressed at the June Summit included:

  • Development and adoption of strategies to improve responder and motorist safety and consistency across jurisdictions
  • Commitment from key stakeholders to support TIM Outreach Initiatives and messages
  • Discussion that supports the enhancement of State/local legislation and policies that advance TIM planning and operations, including Driver Removal and Authority Removal legislation
  • Support for urgent and clearly defined research strategies, such as model Move Over and Driver Removal laws, the effects of emergency lighting, and the impact of TIM performance measures
  • Implementation of the National TIM Responder Training course developed through the Transportation Research Board's Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) II
  • Addressing actions that can improve the efficiency of the highway system, such as roles and responsibilities among the responders, possible cost-recovery strategies, and better investment of cost-efficient resources and
  • Developing an action-based executive group equipped to provide leadership, support, and guidance in the advancing priority actions identified during the Summit.

The summit's events included presentations, panel sessions, and break out discussions each centering on TIM and the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2). Focused on safety, renewal, reliability and capacity, SHRP 2 addresses the challenge of moving people and goods efficiently and safely. TIM concentrates on responder's safety, quick clearance, and effective communication. Attendees hoped to share their ideas and create action plans to effectively respond to traffic incidents across the country.

The strategies developed at the summit will affect the cultures of these agencies and the way they view traffic safety. Speaking to this point, Fire Chief Hank Clemmensen discussed the importance of sharing perspectives. "We all have different needs and concerns. That's why this conference is so important, so we can understand each other’s needs."

The end of the summit represents a new beginning as the representative’s return to their posts energized and full of new ideas. It is vital that the strategies formed during the summit are put into action to ensure change takes place. "The group of approximately 52 executives identified aggressive actions to lead the nation forward in deploying the Strategic Highway Research Program's (SHRP2) Responder Training course," said FHWA Office Director Mark Kehrli. "The level of energy, enthusiasm, and collaboration at the summit exceeded all expectations."

FHWA is producing a report that will summarize the two-day event. The report will be available from the FHWA Office of Transportation Operations by the beginning of August 2012, and will be posted on its Traffic Incident Management Web site at https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/eto_tim_pse/about/tim.htm.

Questions may be address to the Traffic Incident and Events Management team at ETO@dot.gov.