Gordon Graham
Category: Fire

Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. And today’s tip is for my friends in the fire service and it deals with traffic incident management. 

When you are working a traffic incident on a busy highway, things can go wrong without warning.

I don’t have to tell you that when you are working a traffic incident on a busy highway, you’re in a dynamic and uncontrolled situation. Things can go wrong without warning. Some people think that always shutting down the entire roadway is the best way to ensure safety. But research suggests that this is not necessarily true. 

There are some important things you can do in advance to help ensure the safety of your patient, your coworkers, passing motorists, and yourself. First, ensure that your personnel is trained with the latest information. Second, work with other stakeholders. Third, ensure that your policy and procedures are up to date.    

I’ve heard some great things about the Traffic Incident Management (TIM) training course. It is offered on-line and in-person and it provides key information to help you manage these incidents effectively. You and your personnel can complete this course at respondersafety.com. 

Please get together with everyone else who will be working with you on the highway. Sit down with neighboring fire departments, EMS, law enforcement, towing and recovery, the state department of transportation, and other stakeholders. Figure out how each of you will handle your responsibilities. Consider conducting some joint training exercises. 

Review your agency’s policies and procedures. Make sure that they are up to date and in-line with appropriate legal and other standards. Ensure they enable you to effectively work with your partner agencies.  

Taking these steps right away will help ensure everyone’s safety as they work the next traffic incident. 

And that’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. 

Gordon Graham, signing off.