|
The Midlands Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Meeting met on October 3 to discuss and coordinate first responder issues and concerns while working traffic collisions and traffic backups on South Carolina’s highways.
SCDOT SHEP Incident responders participated in the meeting along with local fire departments, local police and sheriff departments, the State Highway Patrol, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) and the South Carolina Department of Health, Environmental Control (SCDHEC).
The group discussed recent large traffic incidents including a road rage incident, a fire truck hit by a motorist and an I-26 incident where a tractor trailer hit a firetruck. The discussions highlighted how each department works together to get traffic safely moving again after an incident.
SHEP gave a demonstration of the new Lane Blade equipment used to remove debris from roadways safely without the incident responder getting out of his truck. The group also discussed the impact of media on roadway incidents and local/state crash and fatality statistics.
SCDOT’s State Traffic Incident Management Coordinator Michael Bowman said, “The SCDOT facilitated Traffic Incident Management (TIM) training is a catalyst for standardized and safe first responder practices for roadway incidents and to ensure the travel lanes are returned to their normal capacities as quickly as possible.”
The meeting was held at the SCDOT Traffic Management Facility on Shop Road in Columbia.
| 
