According to SEMCOG data, more than 20,000 crashes occur on our freeways each year. Many of these events are small causing minimal disruption, but each year, several are large and can cause significant delays and increase risks for secondary incidents.
In large- or small-scale emergencies, collaboration within and between emergency response agencies is essential to keeping travelers safe and restoring roadway operations. Unfortunately, such collaboration is difficult. This is due to the complexities of some incidents and the diverse collection of people and agencies that must work together, all with different skills, procedures, knowledge, and competencies. For 14 years, the Operations Partnering Workshop has brought together this collection of more than 100 individuals from across the region to network, learn best practices, and bridge the gaps that could hinder response to incidents on roadways.
Phil Bertolini, Oakland County, and Ahmad Jawad, Road Commission for Oakland County
This year’s workshop was held on March 7, 2019 in Oakland County. Similar to previous workshops sponsored by the Michigan chapter of ITS America, this year’s agenda highlighted some new, innovative services and initiatives and provided examples and exercises on regional collaboration.
Barbara Swann, SEMTOC, and Reggie Washington, MDOT
Incident Response Collaboration
Highlighting the importance of collaboration between agencies in the region, both Oakland County and the Michigan Department of Transportation reviewed separate, but significant incidents where collaboration and coordination were needed to properly respond. Both incidents – an overturned tanker truck, and a vehicle on fire on the freeway, required response from varying agencies in multiple jurisdictions. Police and fire departments, hazmat, homeland security, environmental quality agencies, the national weather service, and local tow truck operators, all played crucial roles in clearing the incidents and restoring traffic. Each incident required open communication lines, previously adopted mutual aid agreements between agencies, and the familiarity of working with outside agencies that can be facilitated and blossom at events like the Operations Partnering Workshop.
Mike Loper, Oakland County Homeland Security
Participants were randomly seated to ensure a diverse mixture of disciplines. This was done because a tabletop exercise was conducted during the workshop. The scenario involved a vehicle fire, much like the real life example presented during the workshop. Participants were asked to identify which agencies should respond. As each table collaborated and identified agencies and delegated roles and responsibilities, additional mitigation such as winter weather patterns were introduced for participants to discuss.
Additional items from this year’s partnering workshop included:
Oakland County Connected Vehicle Program
Oakland County highlighted its innovative program to increase autonomous and connected vehicle communication infrastructure. By using public and private partnerships, Oakland County will deploy and maintain the new technology that connected and autonomous vehicles use to interact with surrounding vehicles and structures with no costs to county.
Freeway Courtesy Patrol
MDOT Freeway Courtesy Patrol Trailer
Incident Clear is the new Freeway Courtesy Patrol vendor for Southeast Michigan. New Freeway Courtesy Patrols vehicles are painted in a highly visible red and have a goal of responding to and clearing incidents in 15 minutes. The Freeway Courtesy Patrol also has new trailers filled with equipment such as cones, barricades, flashing lights, and generators to aid police and fire when responding to larger scale incidents.
Move Over and Hold Harmless
Speakers stressed the importance of the updated Move Over Law. Drivers are now required to switch lanes and slow their vehicles when approaching first responders responding to incidents. Recent incidents where first responders have had vehicles struck highlight the importance of complying with the law.
Workshop participants
Following the workshop, several tables remained full while individuals continued the table top exercise. Business cards where exchanged back and forth as were experiences shared about past responses to traffic incidents. Without the operations partnering workshop, many of these exchanges and interactions between agencies and disciplines likely would not occur until an incident.
View the presentations from the workshop.
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