APWA Joins Partners to Mark FHWA’s Traffic Incident Management Emergency Responders Training 200,000 Milestone
WASHINGTON D.C. – The American Public Works Association (APWA) joined partners at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. this week to mark the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Traffic Incident Management (TIM) emergency responders training 200,000 milestone. The TIM training is part of a national effort to improve the safety of “first responders” who arrive on the scene of highway crashes. APWA members, who are public works professionals, and other traffic incident management responders – such as police, fire, highway workers, emergency medical and towing personnel, learn to collaborate as a team on best practices in the TIM training, including quick clearance techniques to improve communications and reductions of the amount of time needed to remain on the scene of accidents.
“It is vital that public works senior staff, supervisors and operators receive the Traffic Incident Management (TIM) training across the country, to efficiently and safely manage traffic incidents with other emergency service responders,” said APWA TIM Executive Leadership Group representative, Christine Walsh, of Beloit, WI.
The delays caused by such crashes and other traffic incidents are responsible for about half of all traffic delays – which limits freight movement, increases worker commute times and significantly decreases highway safety for everyone on the road.
“APWA understands the importance of emergency responders learning the best practices at highway accident scenes,” said APWA Board Director – Region II, Harry Weed, of Seaford, NY. “Our members are the 29,000 public works professionals who are the stewards of public infrastructure, and we see the absolute need for personnel to take this training. We have people on the road every day, whether its routine maintenance or road repair and construction. This TIMS responder training partnership will help public works professionals and other emergency responders become recognized as first responder teams, in addition to their everyday operations,” said Weed.
For FHWA’s Traffic Incident Management Training by state points of contact, visit the SHRP2 list: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/goshrp2/Content/Documents/Factsheets/TIM%20Training%20State%20POC%20List.pdf
For more information concerning media queries, contact APWA Media Relations/Communications Manager, Laura Bynum, M.A. at [email protected], or by phone at: 202.218.6736.
About APWA
The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net) is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 29,000 members involved in the field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, has an office in Washington, D.C. and 63 chapters in North America.
