Georgia "HERO" Worker Struck and Killed Near Atlanta

On Monday morning January 31, 2011, 45-year-old Spencer Pass, an employee of the Georgia Highway Emergency Response Operator's (HERO) organization, was struck and killed while assisting a motorist along I-85 south of downtown Atlanta. Pass, a father of three teenage sons, was the first HERO operator to be killed in the line of duty since the Highway Emergency Response Operator program began 15 years ago.

Pass, of Jonesboro, had worked for the DOT less than three years, Commissioner Vance C. Smith Jr. said. "As a HERO, Spencer spent long hours, often in hazardous roadside conditions, to keep Georgia’s traveling public safer," Smith said in a statement. "He will be missed."

"We are extremely saddened to learn of the death of the HERO operator in Georgia" said Steve Austin of the CVVFA Emergency Responder Safety Institute. "The HERO program is a model for roadway incident safety. We and the rest of the traffic management community mourn their loss. We are reminded that working on the roadway helping others is a dangerous occupation. Our deepest sympathies are extended to the family and the men and women of the Georgia Department of Transportation".

The HEROs (Highway Emergency Response Operators) are the key component of the Georgia Department of Transportation's Incident Management program. As GDOT strives to reduce congestion on the highways, HEROs will respond quickly to incidents and clear the roads so that the normal traffic flow can be restored.

Funding for the HERO program has been provided by Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CM / AQ) Fund under the guidance of the Atlanta Regional Commission's (ARC) Incident Management Taskforce. The Taskforce members include the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), GDOT, traffic reporters, emergency and first-response agencies and the private sector. State Farm is also providing sponsorship contributions to the HERO program.

The Emergency Response Safety Institute (ERSI) has worked with the HERO Program for a number of years.  ERSI has exchanged instructors at events and planning sessions and have participated in ride-along operations with HERO operators. A great deal of time has been spent learning how they operate. Additionally, HERO leadership has helped craft many of our training programs.

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