November 10-16, 2019 is National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week.

Every minute of every day emergency responders across the country work to help save lives at the scene of traffic incidents.  Too many are struck on scene. Too many die. The goal of National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week is, for the fourth year, to reach out to every responder, and to every driver, and to every passenger, to make it clear that every person has a role to play.

First Responders here in Virginia will always remember the ultimate sacrifice by Lieutenant Bradford Turner Clark of Hanover Fire/EMS.  Lt. Clark was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer while he was outside of his fire truck responding to a crash on I-295. He was honored at the 2019 Virginia Fallen Firefighter & EMS Memorial Service on June 1, 2019 and has been recognized by a number of organizations in Virginia for his sacrifice.

Drivers are urged to move over when they see flashing blue, red or amber lights on Virginia’s highways. Please give first responders and law enforcement officers room to do their jobs; move over and slow down. Remember, it’s the law.

Virginia law states that when approaching a stationary vehicle that is displaying flashing blue, red or amber lights, drivers shall:

  • Proceed with caution and, if reasonable, yield the right of way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to the stationary vehicle or:
  • If changing lanes would be unreasonable or unsafe, proceed with due caution and maintain a safe speed for highway conditions.

Additional resources are available at:

If your agency has not done so, we encourage you to participate in The FHWA -SHRP2 National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training Program. The following video contains information about the program and contact information to have the training delivered to your agency is available at the VASTIM website listed above or you may contact Briant Atkins, VDFP Chief Safety Officer at 804-249-2173 or briant.atkins@vdfp.virginia.gov.

 

Register for National Incident Management Responder Training

Click here to find a course near you.

3RD SENIOR EXECUTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC SAFETY SUMMIT will be Nov 14 and 15 with a ceremony commemorating National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week with a Proclamation signing by The USDOT Secretary of Transportation.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is committed to a safe and efficient highway system. To that end, the FHWA Office of Operations, Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Program targets efforts to improve responder and motorist safety, while also advancing incident mitigation tools, techniques, and processes. To move the National TIM Program forward.