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ITE Traffic Incident
Management E-mail Discussion Group Digest #19
January 14 to January 20, 2000
This digest contains the following messages:
#1.
Re: TIM: INTL ASSOC OF CHIEFS OF POLICE - HWY SAFETY DESK REFERENCE - from Ken Brooke
#2. RE: Multiple Cell 911 Calls - from
Franklin, Robert B
#3. TIM: INTL ASSOC OF CHIEFS OF POLICE - HWY SAFETY
DESK REFERENCE - from
Corbin, John
#4. TIM: ACTION - DRAFT - from
Corbin, John
#5. TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
- from Corbin, John
#6. TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY -Reply
- from
Helman, David
#7. Re: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
- from Ken Brooke
#8. RE: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY -Reply
- from DuFresne, Jon C.
#9. TIM: RE: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
-Reply - from
Helman, David
#10. Re: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
- from Dick Raub
#11. Re: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
-Reply - from Dick Raub
#12. Temporary freeway detection/surveillance -
from Chuck Miller
#13. Re: TIM: ACTION - DRAFT - from
Ken Brooke
#14. Re: TIM: Temporary freeway detection/surveillance
- from Ken Brooke
#15. FW: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
- from Corbin, John
Disclaimer: Topics
that do not pertain to Traffic Incident Management have been omitted from
the discussion group digests to save the reader time when reviewing
messages, and to save space on the web server. See
Discussion Group Etiquette for examples of
other reasons a message may have been omitted from a digest.
-------------------- 1 --------------------
#1. Re: TIM: INTL ASSOC OF CHIEFS OF POLICE - HWY SAFETY
DESK REFERENCE - from Ken Brooke
Top
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 15:14:38 -0500
From: Ken Brooke <ken@mitretek.org>
Subject: Re: TIM: INTL ASSOC OF CHIEFS OF POLICE - HWY SAFETY DESK
REFERENCE
I highly recommend the section on Freeway Incident Management, about ten
pages of reading, beginning on P 90.
Ask yourself when you come across the sections describing "DOT" operations
if the cops are accurately describing what you do during a highway
incident. I think that the transportation resource of 10-15 years
ago is described, but I don't see the ITS-era resource we all have been
working to deploy out of ISTEA.
Ken
PS: I have also copied Matt Snyder, the manager of IACP's Technical
Clearinghouse, on this message, in part to lure him into the conversation
and introduce him to the discussion group.
ITE TIM wrote:
> The IACP has a copy of their Highway Safety Desk Reference accessible
> through their web site (www.theiacp.org). The desk reference is at
>
>
http://www.bts.gov/ntl/DOCS/deskbk.html
Top
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#2. RE: Multiple Cell 911 Calls - from
Franklin, Robert B
Top
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 14:27:22 -0700
From: "Franklin, Robert B" <robert.b.franklin@lmco.com>
Subject: RE: Multiple Cell 911 Calls
Dick:
Suggest you contact Jeff Hannah of ComCARE Alliance at 202.429.0574. They
are very active in this field.
Tip
> Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 12:50:14 -0600
> From: Dick Raub <raraub@nwu.edu>
> Subject: Multiple Cell 911 Calls
>
> I am seeking any work that has been done directed toward reducing the
> multiplicity of cell 911 calls for incidents (or the need to answer such
> multiple calls). We are looking to increase the number of of
PSAP's for
> cell 911 in a highly congested, multiple police agency corridor.
the
> problem now is that the one agency that handles cell 911 must take time
> from their dispatching duties to answer multiple calls. Other
agencies do
> not want the same problems.
Top
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#3. TIM: INTL ASSOC OF CHIEFS OF POLICE - HWY SAFETY DESK
REFERENCE - from
Corbin, John
Top
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 12:50:46 -0600
From: "Corbin, John" <john.corbin@dot.state.wi.us>
Subject: TIM: INTL ASSOC OF CHIEFS OF POLICE - HWY SAFETY DESK REFERENCE
1. For those that may be having difficulty with my initial web site
reference for the Hwy Safety Desk Reference, try
http://www.theiacp.org/pubinfo/Pubs/index.html
2. Please note also a recent resource through ICDN on photo enforcement...
http://pti.org/task_forces/transportation/
docs/photo/photo_enforcement.pdf
3. Finally, thanks to CD Tyler for sharing a final web site on
photogrammetric crash measurement during his presentation at the 1/9 IM
Seminar in DC. This web site is at
http://www.jps.net/measure/examples.htm
"Keep those cards and letters coming!!"
John M. Corbin, P.E., P.T.O.E.
Freeway Operations Engineer
Traffic Operations Center
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
633 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1200
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203
phone: 414-227-2150
fax: 414-227-2164
john.corbin@dot.state.wi.us
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#4. TIM: ACTION - DRAFT - from
Corbin, John
Top
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 13:35:51 -0600
From: "Corbin, John" <john.corbin@dot.state.wi.us>
Subject: TIM: ACTION - DRAFT
Thanks to Barry Drogin for drafting an outreach sheet for public safety
recruitment to the TIM Committee. Your feedback will be appreciated.
If you care to comment directly to Barry, email
bdrogin@mtabt.org
Alternately, share comments of general interest on through this email
discussion group.
<<TIM.pdf>>
Top
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#5. TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
- from Corbin, John
Top
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 20:01:36 -0600
From: "Corbin, John" <john.corbin@dot.state.wi.us>
Subject: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
Does anyone (Dick Raub, John O'Laughlin, Ken Brooke, etc.) have leads on
RECENT (i.e. past 5 years) research that quantifies the hazards of
excessive emergency vehicle lighting practices - particularly on freeways?
It seems clear to casual traffic operations observers that wig-wagging
reds & blues distract motorists and may contribute to secondary crashes.
I also hear anecdotal reference to the "moth effect" attracting the
chemically incapacitated driver INTO a strobing light.
Any leads on some hard results would be appreciated.
John M. Corbin, P.E., P.T.O.E.
Freeway Operations Engineer
Traffic Operations Center
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
633 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1200
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203
phone: 414-227-2150
fax: 414-227-2164
john.corbin@dot.state.wi.us
Top
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#6. TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY -Reply
- from Helman, David
Top
Date: 20 Jan 2000 08:51:58 -0500
From: "Helman, David <FHWA>" <David.Helman@fhwa.dot.gov>
Subject: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY -Reply
Excellent question John!
We have been discussing this point for some time in the IM Workshops (NHI
13348) and it's a hard sell to public safety people who see their lives on
the line unless they light up the world. However, Phoenix fire and
others are beginning to understand how this affects traffic and their own
response, especially to secondary incidents and they have begun to address
"light discipline". I don't have any statistics and I am not aware
of any research, but there have been anecdotal tales of how much
rubbernecking is reduced by reducing the use of flashing emergency lights.
Some people have experimented with various types of screening devices and
none of these has been very successful or easy to set up. The key,
of course, to reducing the use of flashing emergency lights is to provide
GOOD on scene traffic control (usually a DOT job) through use of portable
message signs and arrow boards. Some fire departments are also
putting arrow strips on their vehicles. Of course, for these to be
really effective, there has to be some forethought given to parking and
staging of response vehicles. Certainly, you'll want to light up
things for a few minutes while establishing the beachhead, but once good
traffic control is in place most of those lights can be turned off.
Flashing lights are a warning only. They provide no sense of
direction and they can be confusing, especially at night. There are
a whole host of other issues related to responder safety - day vs night
use, in-lane vs shoulder use, etc. They key to effective use of
warning and direction information is a close relationship and
understanding among all response agencies, but primarily among police,
fire (and EMS), DOT and towing and recovery. Good responder safety
is a primary concern. There appear to be ways of providing a safe
working environment for responders with fewer flashing lights and the
affects on traffic flow can be dramatic.
I would suggest starting with a call to John O'Laughlin who is now
located in Phoenix and who has been working with Arizona DOT, DPS and
Phoenix Fire on this and other issues. This is also a good research
issue but I imagine one of the reasons that it hasn't been done is that
the setup of a good study design would be challenging to say the least.
If someone has studied this issue, I would very much like to see the
study.
Top
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#7. Re: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
- from Ken Brooke
Top
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 10:57:47 -0500
From: Ken Brooke <ken@mitretek.org>
Subject: Re: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
I have certainly heard of departments considering new policies regarding
the use of vehicle emergency lights while on scene, and even some
allusions to studies that "have shown" that it helps to minimize their
use. I don't have anything concrete in the way of citations,
however. I will check with my contacts and get back to the group.
My gut reaction is that whatever deleterious effect their use may have on
passers-by is greatly overshadowed by their benefit (perceived or actual)
in protecting responders working at the scene. I believe that their
use in these situations is mandatory according to state and local statute
in many jurisdictions. I do feel that there are tendencies to over
excel in equipping fire and rescue apparatus, however...particularly in
volunteer departments. What with the capabilities of modern high intensity
lighting systems, the result can certainly be perceived to be excessive by
the layperson.
This strikes me as similar to the debates regarding the "best" color for
fire apparatus. A great deal of time and money was expended to find
out what the very best color was, and as I recall, it wasn't red!
The "slime green" or "blaze orange" colors seen infrequently are the
result of these studies. Oddly enough, even though they were judged
to provide the best visibility, they were still unexpected and
non-traditional. I hear that the simple fact of their not being red
was distracting to motorists, and the missing color cue actually caused
the non red apparatus to blend in more with the other traffic. I'm
sure that the traditionalists also voiced their pro-red opinions loudly as
well. Just another case of "what's best ain't always what's best!"
Ken
Top
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#8. RE: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY -Reply
- from DuFresne, Jon C.
Top
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 11:37:20 -0500
From: "DuFresne, Jon C." <dufresne_jc@vdot.state.va.us>
Subject: RE: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY -Reply
Check with the California Highway Patrol. I was at an I-95 Corridor
Coalition HOGs meeting in New Hampshire several years ago where the quest
speaker was a Lt. Col. (I believe) with the California Highway Patrol.
He stated that they have eliminated using their flashing lights after they
pull a motorist over to the side of the road in order to eliminate crashes
into the police car. They felt that a motorist when looking at the
flashing light will inadvertently steer toward it.
By the way, the HOGs are composed of state police and DOT representatives
within the I-95 Corridor Coalition and this statement was not well
received by a majority of the State police present. It will be a
hard sell.
Jon DuFresne
ITS Operations Engineer
Virginia DOT
Top
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#9. TIM: RE: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
-Reply - from Helman,
David
Top
Date: 20 Jan 2000 13:27:01 -0500
From: "Helman, David <FHWA>" <David.Helman@fhwa.dot.gov>
Subject: TIM: RE: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY -Reply
Jon, you're absolutely correct - it is an extremely hard sell. I
remember John O'Laughlin (retired, Washington State Patrol) trying to sell
an officer from Dallas Police on this based on his experiences in the
Seattle area and Mr. Dallas Police wasn't buying it. You have to
understand concern for safety as viewed by responders who have either had
close calls themselves or had colleagues killed or injured in action.
Ken, if you dig up anything, even a reference, please send it to me.
I know Phoenix is looking into this and I expect others are too.
Top
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#10. Re: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
- from Dick Raub
Top
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 14:53:38 -0600
From: Dick Raub <raraub@nwu.edu>
Subject: Re: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
John:
To a large extent, I believe that most of this discussion is anecdotal.
There are a substantial number of crashes with stopped police vehicles,
but the causes really are not clearly known. First, what is the
population characteristics of drivers involved in roadside collisions as
opposed to on-road collisions? (Remember, similar commentary also is
made about trucks stopped on the shoulders). Second, do crashes with
parked police vehicles occur more frequently than with other vehicles
stopped on the shoulders?
I suggest that perhaps there is a question, or problem statement, that
could go through the Freeway Ops committee for submission on to NCHRP.
I don't know whether IACp or IACP and perhaps ATA Foundation (because
trucks are involved) might want to try this one on for size. What
thinkest you? Perhaps a project whose time has come? Our involvement
with police might be an "in" to getting access to police crash reports.
Dick
Top
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#11. Re: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
-Reply - from Dick Raub
Top
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 15:02:09 -0600
From: Dick Raub <raraub@nwu.edu>
Subject: Re: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY -Reply
Dave:
I responded to John independently, but also can comment to all. When
I was with ISP, this was an off-discussed question but they were
unwilling, at that time, to do any form of research. My suspicion
was that they were "what iffing" the possible results.
I do agree about the excessive use of lights as it affects traffic flow.
While the literature is somewhat weak in the area, anyone who has driven
knows that the visibility of emergency lights on either side of the road
serve as an attractive nuisance. People slow and the likelihood of
collisions increase dramatically.
Dick
Top
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#12. Temporary freeway detection/surveillance -
from Chuck Miller
Top
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 16:08:16 -0600 (CST)
From: Chuck Miller <cmiller@vuse.vanderbilt.edu>
Subject: Temporary freeway detection/surveillance
I an curious whether any agency has used temporary detection and/or
surveillance equipment to monitor traffic in construction zones on
freeways. I can envision two scenarios in which temporary detection
and/or surveillance might be useful; 1) when a section of freeway
that is within a freeway management system is being reconstructed and
existing detection/surveillance devices are disturbed or 2) to
provide detection and/or surveillance outside of a freeway
management system's coverage area.
If this type of temporary detection and/or surveillance has been used,
what type of equipment has been used? Was implementing the system
before construction gets underway a problem? How did the
public accept and understand the temporary nature of the implementation?
Will your agency use temporary detection and/or surveillance again?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Chuck Miller
-------------------- 13 --------------------
#13. Re: TIM: ACTION - DRAFT - from
Ken Brooke
Top
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 18:11:38 -0500
From: Ken Brooke <ken@mitretek.org>
Subject: Re: TIM: ACTION - DRAFT
Okay, John & Barry, I had a few thoughts on the draft flyer, FWIW:
1. By outreach, were we reporting on past outreach accomplishments,
or stating future outreach goals? Was the list of organizations
meant to convey a sense of professional association in order to attract
more "birds of a feather?" The flyer could perhaps use a little more
enticement.
2. Re the IACP. I believe that I would recommend the Law
Enforcement Information
Management Section as a more sympatico IACP group than the "Traffic Safety
Committee"
(perhaps referring to the Highway Safety Committee?). I think that
the committee
might be more appropriate if our emphasis is more on operational policies
and procedures. If we are concentrating on technology instead and
targeting IACP committees, I might suggest that the Communications and
Technology Committee might
work with ITS better. Tom Steele is the new LEIM chair, and already
involved in
meetings with the JPO, hopefully headed towards a more formal relationship
sometime
soon.
3. If we are concentrating on standards, then we may have missed the
mark altogether
in public safety. For law enforcement, I believe I would engage the
Commission on
Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), in preference to the
IACP. For
fire & rescue incident management, I believe that the National Fire
Prevention
Association (NFPA) and/or one of the several training organizations would
suit our
needs better than the IAFC. For EMS, both the National Association
of EMS Physicians
(NAEMSP) and the National Association of State EMS Directors (NAEMSD)
would be
appropriate, however there are others active in this fragmented
profession.
4. A general (and, I fear repetitious) comment on outreach into the
public safety
sector. These are not unified professions, and no single
organization can speak for
any of the segments with unanimity. The authoritative portion of
each profession is
comprised of veterans who have risen to their positions in highly
competitive and
dangerous environments, and such a Darwinian process produces individuals
with very
large egos who guard their turf assiduously. I think that anyone
with significant
street-level experience will agree that it is difficult enough to get
agreement
between adjacent jurisdictions, let alone between adjacent professions.
I would not
expect national consensus on our requests for information.
5. Nevertheless, I believe we do (or will soon) have something of
value to offer the
cops, firefighters, and medics. It's really quid pro quo, for we
need their services,
as none of our gadgets will work when the road is blocked, and they are
the only ones
who can actually restore traffic flow. I think we might consider how
to package our
ITS external resources and services to make them irresistable to public
safety. I'm not sure
that they realize they need anything more than what they already have.
We have a
product, but we need to create a market for it.
I remember my dad skoffing at a new car salesman's pitch in the 60's and
saying "If
cruise control is the solution, then what is the problem!" Now most
cars have it as
standard equipment. That's where we need to get to with regional
highway incident
management.
-Ken
Top
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#14. Re: TIM: Temporary freeway detection/surveillance
- from Ken Brooke
Top
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 18:34:59 -0500
From: Ken Brooke <ken@mitretek.org>
Subject: Re: TIM: Temporary freeway detection/surveillance
Well, a similar thing is used during an incident in my fire & rescue
department within our local transit system, MetroRail (metro Washington,
DC). It's not highway, and it's not a construction work zone, but
might be pertinent.
When there is a MetroRail incident requiring work on the tracks, two
things are constantly monitored for the duration of the incident:
1. The third rail, to determine if it is energized.
2. The traction rails (unsure of the terminology), to determine if a
train is approaching.
I can provide further details, if you're interested.
-Ken
Top
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#15. FW: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
- from Corbin, John
Top
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 20:47:53 -0600
From: "Corbin, John" <john.corbin@dot.state.wi.us>
Subject: FW: TIM: ACTION-EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING POLICY
OK. Ron, this is for your deliberation as representative of the TRB
Freeway Ops Committee - Research Subcommittee. As you have
previously indicated, you are looking for BRIEF descriptions of research
ideas for the subcommittee to review and prioritize.
(Am cc-ing TIM email discussion group to enable your comments and
suggestions to Ron and me.)
Proposed Research Project:
Emergency & Maintenance Vehicle Warning Lighting - Responder & Freeway
Safety Impacts
Scope:
Traffic incident contribute significantly to highway congestion.
Many of these incidents attract the presence of emergency, maintenance,
and towing and recovery vehicles. The presence of these vehicles can
exacerbate the congestion caused by the traffic incident, and the warning
light practices of these vehicles is a potentially significant factor
influencing their impact. Additional variables associated with
warning light practices include type (rotating or strobe), intensity,
color, mounting location (roof, window, or grille), flash sequence
("wig-wag", random, or sequential), and weather and ambient lighting
conditions. This research project will review and synthesize
previous research and evaluations of vehicle lighting practices and
impacts. The project will identify candidate lighting practice
variables, and will develop and apply a methodology to analyze the
significance of these variables in affecting vehicle operator and other
pedestrian responder safety as well as traffic flow and safety on freeway,
tollway, and expressway facilities. The project will utilized
historical crash and traffic flow data, similar data collected during a
designated study period, and other specialized human factor study
techniques to complete the project.
Objectives & Issues:
What vehicle warning lighting configurations and practices are predominant
nationally?
What legislative and policy mandates affect vehicle warning lighting
practices?
What are current and emerging vehicle warning lighting technologies?
How do vehicle warning lights affect traffic flow and safety?
How do various vehicle warning lighting practices impact vehicle operator
and pedestrian responder safety?
What vehicle warning lighting practices are most effective in ensuring
safety and optimizing traffic flow, and under what conditions?
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