“Our new FIRST (Freeway Incident ResponseServices Tracking) system allows us tochoose the appropriate type of response andto notify the responder in the correctjurisdiction by dragging and clicking with amouse on the computer. This especially helpswhen response units from many agenciesmay be needed to adequately clear up theincident.”—William Pasley, Commander,Transportation Management Unit,California Highway Patrol

Agencies Maximize LimitedCapabilities through Coordination

When agencies integrate their resources,they can achieve more.

“Because of the close coordination amongus, we have been able to respond to agreater number and a wider variety ofincidents than we used to.”—Sean Nozzari, Chief of CaltransTransportation Management Center, SanFrancisco Bay Area

The ability for all agencies to view the sameinformation by sharing video images furtherenhances emergency response.

“During the Olympic Games in Atlanta, aspart of our joint response efforts with theGDOT, the state patrol, and the city police,we saw how beneficial the video surveillancecameras were. Being able to view the sceneof a freeway incident using the surveillancecameras helped us to better decide the typeand number of units to send to theincident.”—Tony Davidson, Chief ofCommunications, Atlanta FireDepartment

Coordinated Efforts Facilitate EmergencyResponse

Co-locating emergency dispatchers withtransportation management staff buildsstrong working relationships that facilitateemergency response.

“Mayday Plus and ARTIC [integrated systems]would not be possible without MinnesotaGuidestar’s ongoing partnership with theMinnesota State Patrol. These two projectsand a new network of TransportationOperation Centers are excellent examples ofhow transportation and public safetyagencies must work together to improveemergency and incident response throughITS.”—Gene Ofstead, Assistant Commissioner,MnDOT

Increased interagency communication furtherenhances incident response.

“The technology to identify, verify, andprecisely locate an incident that we have atthe Transportation Management Center wenta long way to promoting communicationswith emergency medical services staff… theaccuracy and timeliness of the incidentinformation we give emergency medicalservice agencies has built a climate of trustbetween us.”—Joe Stapleton, Assistant State TrafficOperations Engineer, GDOT

INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

U.S. Department of TransportationRoom 3422, HVH-1400 7th Street, SW

Washington, DC 20590Phone: (202) 366-0722

Facsimile: (202) 366-3302Or visit our web site at www.its.dot.gov

FHWA-JPO-99-004

Individual Agencies Can Respond to aLimited Number of Traffic Incidents

“On the Los Angeles County freeway system,the California Highway Patrol logs morethan 4,000 incidents per day. The CHPdoesn’t have the resources to verify, locate,and respond to each incident. We cooperatewith a variety of other agencies to help.”—William Pasley, Commander,Transportation Management Unit,California Highway Patrol

To manage budget and staffing constraints,yet continue to meet their coreresponsibilities, many emergency servicesand transportation management agenciesare reallocating their individual resourcesand prioritizing operations.

Still, given an increasing number of vehicleson the roads and intense highwayenvironments, identifying and locatingtraffic incidents and sending out responseunits requires far more than a singleagency’s resources—regardless of howefficient that agency’s operations may be.

Sharing Resources ImprovesEfficiencies and Response Times

When emergency service providers andtransportation management agencies shareinformation, each performs its core missionmore effectively.

“I consider integration essential…. You haveone system that gathers the informationabout the incident and another thatcoordinates the response to the incident.When the two are well integrated, the resultcan save time, save lives, and clear theincident faster.”—Steve Galgano, Director of Signals andLighting, New York City DOT

Combining Operations MaximizesLimited Resources

When emergency services agencies sharefacilities and traffic monitoring resourceswith transportation management agencies,the efficiency and speed of incidentresponse are measurably improved.

“It is imperative to show police and firedepartments the potential resources inintelligent transportation systems that canhelp them do their jobs better. All thetechnology in the world won’t help if thepolice officers on the street do not realize thefull capability of the technology.”—Captain Timothy Kelly, TransportationManagement Center OperationsSupervisor, Houston Metro Police

Emergency services and transportationmanagement agencies in states andmetropolitan areas are increasing the valueof their individual resources by:

• Co-locating the critical functions of theirtwo systems

• Sharing communications media• Automating notification to responding

agencies

Emergency services dispatchers located intransportation management facilities canrapidly choose any type of responserequired by simply clicking a mouse whenusing an automated notification system.

Communication of accurate incidentinformation, such as its location andseverity, helps emergency responsepersonnel:

• Decide the type and number of responseunits to send to the scene

• Minimize delays in response time• Maximize emergency response resources

“You have to optimize to make the best useof your resources, and you don’t optimizepiece by piece. You have to improve theincident management delivery system as awhole. You can do this more easily if you areworking together as a team, observing eachother working, and exchanging ideas daily.”—Glen Carlson, Manager, TransportationManagement Center, MnDOT MetroRegion

“Our new FIRST (Freeway Incident ResponseServices Tracking) system allows us tochoose the appropriate type of response andto notify the responder in the correctjurisdiction by dragging and clicking with amouse on the computer. This especially helpswhen response units from many agenciesmay be needed to adequately clear up theincident.”—William Pasley, Commander,Transportation Management Unit,California Highway Patrol

Agencies Maximize LimitedCapabilities through Coordination

When agencies integrate their resources,they can achieve more.

“Because of the close coordination amongus, we have been able to respond to agreater number and a wider variety ofincidents than we used to.”—Sean Nozzari, Chief of CaltransTransportation Management Center, SanFrancisco Bay Area

The ability for all agencies to view the sameinformation by sharing video images furtherenhances emergency response.

“During the Olympic Games in Atlanta, aspart of our joint response efforts with theGDOT, the state patrol, and the city police,we saw how beneficial the video surveillancecameras were. Being able to view the sceneof a freeway incident using the surveillancecameras helped us to better decide the typeand number of units to send to theincident.”—Tony Davidson, Chief ofCommunications, Atlanta FireDepartment

Coordinated Efforts Facilitate EmergencyResponse

Co-locating emergency dispatchers withtransportation management staff buildsstrong working relationships that facilitateemergency response.

“Mayday Plus and ARTIC [integrated systems]would not be possible without MinnesotaGuidestar’s ongoing partnership with theMinnesota State Patrol. These two projectsand a new network of TransportationOperation Centers are excellent examples ofhow transportation and public safetyagencies must work together to improveemergency and incident response throughITS.”—Gene Ofstead, Assistant Commissioner,MnDOT

Increased interagency communication furtherenhances incident response.

“The technology to identify, verify, andprecisely locate an incident that we have atthe Transportation Management Center wenta long way to promoting communicationswith emergency medical services staff… theaccuracy and timeliness of the incidentinformation we give emergency medicalservice agencies has built a climate of trustbetween us.”—Joe Stapleton, Assistant State TrafficOperations Engineer, GDOT

INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

U.S. Department of TransportationRoom 3401, HOIT-1400 7th Street, SW

Washington, DC 20590Phone: (202) 366-0722

Facsimile: (202) 366-3302Or visit our web site at www.its.dot.gov

FHWA-JPO-99-004