Coalition's Goal: Slower Traffic, Faster Clearing of Crash Scenes

Coalition's Goal: Slower Traffic, Faster Clearing of Crash Scenes
     Top emergency-response organizations have joined with leading traffic-safety groups in a campaign to improve highway safety and efficiency.

     The cornerstone of the effort, which was rolled out for the 2007–08 holiday season, is the National Unified Goal for Traffic Incident Management (NUG for short). Under the NUG, responder organizations pledge to work together to improve communication and coordination at crash scenes, with a goal of minimizing factors that can delay road clearance. In turn, they ask motorists to slow down and move over when they approach incident scenes, hopefully reducing the number of responders hurt and killed by passing vehicles.

     Traffic congestion costs the U.S. around $200 billion a year, Federal Highway Administrator J. Richard Capka said in supporting the NUG, and traffic incidents account for about a quarter of it. For every minute a freeway lane is blocked during a peak travel period, four minutes' delay result after the incident is cleared.

     The effort is being led by the National Traffic Incident Management Coalition. Participating member organizations include the National Association of State EMS Officials, International Association of Fire Fighters, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Fire Protection Association, National Volunteer Fire Council, National Emergency Number Association and Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International.

     "If you or your family members are involved in a crash, you will depend on our emergency medical system to care for you," NASEMSO's Kevin McGinnis told the public as the NUG was unveiled. "We ask that you, in turn, care for us. We join with other traffic incident responders in asking that you slow down and move over when you see ambulance crews and other responders working at crash scenes."
     For more: http://timcoalition.org.
—NTIMC

HOUSE NAMES DAY to honor FFs
     The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a National Firefighter Appreciation Day. Introduced by Rep. John Campbell (R-CA), the resolution was supported by 70 cosponsors and passed by voice vote.

     A resolution is a show of support and lacks the force of law. No Senate action is required on the resolution.

     "Every day, [our] firefighters place themselves in harm's way to protect precious lives and property," Campbell noted.
—GAC

CONGRESSIONAL STAFF RECEIVE FIRE TRAINING
     More than 70 Congressional staffers spent a day in November receiving training at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute. Under the Congressional Firefighter Training Program, sponsored by MFRI and the Congressional Fire Services Institute, instructors guide attendees through a series of training evolutions designed to improve their understanding of the jobs of the fire service. Later in the month, staffers also did ride-alongs with area fire departments.

     Such programs "can have a profound impact in educating" lawmakers and their staff on emergency-services issues, CFSI executive director Bill Webb said.
—CFSI

SAFETY STAND DOWN EVENT REPACKAGED, BULKED UP FOR 2008
     The fire service's annual Safety Stand Down event has been recast into Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week, and is one of three components of a comprehensive new fire/EMS safety support system developed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Safety, Health and Survival section.

     The week will be devoted to reviewing safety policies, evaluating existing initiatives and discussing health and fitness. Fire/EMS personnel are encouraged to use the week to work to correct safety deficiencies within their organizations. This year's event will be June 22–28.