Emergency Responder Safety On Rural Roads

Prepared for Rural Road Safety Awareness Week July 15-19, 2024 in cooperation with the National Center for Rural Road Safety and Road to Zero/National Safety Council

ResponderSafety.com and The Responder Safety Learning Network (RSLN) promote recommended responder safety and traffic incident management practices that improve the safety of emergency responders when they are working scenes on the roadway or traversing the roadway to access a scene. We understand and affirm that operations on rural roads have particular characteristics and challenges that the interstate highway context does not. We have prepared resources to teach safety practices that apply to all roadways, guidance for how to adapt these to the rural roads context when the situation requires it, and information specific to rural roads.

For Rural Road Safety Awareness Week July 15-19, 2024, the overall theme is “Life Between the Lines” and the focus is on preventing rural roadway departure crashes. Use #RRSAW2024 in your social media posts. Visit the official page for more information.

Each weekday of the campaign has a separate but related topic. Below we suggest ResponderSafety.com training materials to use in conjunction with that day’s theme. Also available below the daily topic list is a rural roads training topic plan for different roles in the department.

Monday 7/15: Overview of Rural RwD

• RSLN.org Training Module: Traffic Incident Management on Rural Roads
• ReportStruckBy.com
• Yearly Struck-By Fatality Reports and Data
• Public Education
• Move Over Slow Down
• How to Safely Pass an Emergency Scene
• Traffic Incident Management

Tuesday 7/16: Speed

• Free Roadway Safety Training for All Responders
• TIM Technical Specialist Professional Certification
• ReportStruckBy.com
• Helmets and Head Protection
• Emergency Vehicles & Lighting
• High Visibility Apparel
• Backing Up Emergency Vehicles
• Citizens’ Hose Company Struck By Incident Video Case Study
• LODDs on the Roadway: Safety Lessons Learned
• Public Education
• Move Over Slow Down
• How to Safely Pass an Emergency Scene
• Distracted Driving Awareness
• Train the Trainer: How to Give Effective Distracted Driving Presentations
• PSAs

Wednesday 7/17: Sharp Curves

• RSLN.org Training Module: Advance Warning
• RSLN.org Training Module: Blocking Procedures at Roadway Incidents
• RSLN.org Training Module: Fire Department-Based Vehicles for Traffic Control
• RSLN.org Training Module: High Visibility Innovations
• RSLN.org Training Module: Innovative Temporary Traffic Control Devices and Methods
• RSLN.org Training Module: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
• Emergency Vehicles & Lighting
• RSLN.org Training Module: See and Be Seen: Emergency Lighting Awareness
• RSLN.org Training Module: New Technologies in Emergency Vehicle Lighting

Thursday 7/18: Weather/Road Conditions

• RSLN.org Training Module: TIM Techniques for Weather Events
• RSLN.org Training Module: Wildland Fires and Traffic Management
• RSLN.org Training Module: Special Hazards
• RSLN.org Training Module: Special Circumstances: Safe Operations for Vehicle Fires
• RSLN.org Training Module: Planning for the Long-Term Event

Friday, 7/19: Driving Behaviors

• Public Education
• Move Over Slow Down
• Move Over Slow Down Awareness
• How to Safely Pass an Emergency Scene
• Distracted Driving Awareness
• Train the Trainer: How to Give Effective Distracted Driving Presentations
• PSAs
• RSLN.org Training Module: Integrating Roadway Safety into Community Risk Reduction Programs
• RSLN.org Training Module: Traffic Incident Management: Strategies for Public Outreach
• Sarah’s Story
• “Know What We Know” Safe Driving Push Card

TOPIC PLAN: Rural Roads

Suggested activities for each role in your department to place the focus on emergency responder safety and traffic incident management at roadway incidents, as well as the specific needs in the rural roads environment.

Leadership:

• Watch the Responder Safety Learning Network modules, "Traffic Incident Management on Rural Roads," "Traffic Incident Management: Model Practices and Procedures," "Recommended Practices for TIM SOPs," "Understanding NFPA 1091", and "Traffic Incident Management Requirements in NFPA 1500."
• Review the national standard for personnel who are assigned traffic control duties, NFPA 1091: Standard for Traffic Incident Management Personnel Professional Qualifications. Even if this standard has not been adopted in your jurisdiction, consider training your personnel to meet its requirements.
• Consider requiring all your personnel to earn the National TIM Training Certificate. and complete the module "Traffic Incident Management on Rural Roads."
• Consider certification for all your personnel who are assigned traffic control duties. In the fall of 2020, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association will start offering a new Certified Traffic Incident Management Person credential that is third party accredited by The Pro Board to the NFPA 1091 standard. Responder Safety has written a comprehensive study guide to help personnel prepare for the certification exam. Visit fdsoa.org for more information on the certification.
• Review your department's SOPs for roadway response, revise any that are outdated or inconsistent, and schedule refresher training on these SOPs. These SOPs should include high visibility garments and PPE, incident command, scene size-up, setting up a traffic incident management area (TIMA), blocking procedures and safe parking/positioning, emergency lighting deployment, manual traffic control protocols, scene control, move it or work it decision-making, response in Privately Owned Vehicles (POVs), termination, operation in special situations (vehicle fires, HAZMAT, crash investigations, medical helicopter landings), backing up apparatus, and after action reviews. Model SOPs to help you craft your department's SOPs on some of these topics are available here and here.
• Review NFPA 1500's chapter on Traffic Incident Management to ensure your department is following these best practices even if the standard is not required in your jurisdiction.

Fire Officers:

• Take the Responder Safety Learning Network module, "Roadway Incident Safety Training Guidance for Fire Officers." Encourage your crews to do the same.
• Take the Responder Safety Learning Network module, "Traffic Incident Management on Rural Roads." Encourage your crews to do the same.
• Play the Roadway Safety Shorts videos for your crew(s) and discuss how you will apply these recommended practices to incidents on rural roads.
• Earn the National TIM Training Certificate. Encourage your crews to earn it as well.
• Earn the Certified Traffic Incident Management Person credential. In the fall of 2020, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association will start offering this new credential that is third party accredited by The Pro Board to the NFPA 1091 standard. Responder Safety has written a comprehensive study guide to help personnel prepare for the certification exam. Visit fdsoa.org for more information on the certification. Encourage your crews to earn the certification as well.

Training Officers and Instructors:

• Watch the Responder Safety Learning Network program, "Traffic Incident Management: Training & Resources."
• Take the Responder Safety Learning Network module, "Traffic Incident Management for Rural Roads." Encourage your students to do the same, or even work it into classwork or homework as an assignment.
• Teach a lesson from the ResponderSafety.com Roadway Safety Teaching Topic Packages, which provide an overview of all the major components of integrating roadway safety and traffic control into department operations. During your presentation and class discussion, consider how to apply the concepts taught in the lesson to incidents on rural roads. The lesson plans are available here.
• Discuss a case study from the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program reports where traffic incident management was a contributing factor. Check the contributing factors list for traffic control factors. Another resource for roadway LODD case studies is ResponderSafety.com's interactive map of struck-by line-of-duty deaths.
• Earn the National TIM Training Certificate and complete the module "Traffic Incident Management on Rural Roads." Encourage your crews to earn it as well.
• Earn the Certified Traffic Incident Management Person credential. In the fall of 2020, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association will start offering this new credential that is third party accredited by The Pro Board to the NFPA 1091 standard. Responder Safety has written a comprehensive study guide to help personnel prepare for the certification exam. Visit fdsoa.org for more information on the certification. Encourage your crews to earn the certification as well.
• Select a Topic Plan from the Safety Stand Down list on ResponderSafety.com and pick an activity to do from the suggested ones for your role or another role.

Safety Officers:

• Take the Responder Safety Learning Network module, "The Safety Officer’s Role in Roadway Incident Response"
• Take the Responder Safety Learning Network module, "Traffic Incident Management on Rural Roads." Encourage your crews to do the same, or even work it into a training rotation or assignment.
• Earn the National TIM Training Certificate and complete the module "Traffic Incident Management for Rural Roads." Encourage your crews to earn it as well.
• Earn the Certified Traffic Incident Management Person credential. In the fall of 2020, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association will start offering this new credential that is third party accredited by The Pro Board to the NFPA 1091 standard. Responder Safety has written a comprehensive study guide to help personnel prepare for the certification exam. Visit fdsoa.org for more information on the certification. Encourage your crews to earn the certification as well.
• Review the Roadway Safety Short "How to Safely Pass an Emergency Scene" during a safety break, roll call, or shift change to reinforce how important traffic control is to signaling motorists what to do when approaching a roadway incident scene.
• Play the Roadway Safety Shorts videos for your crew(s) and discuss how you will apply these recommended practices to incidents on rural roads.
• Select a Topic Plan from the Safety Stand Down list on ResponderSafety.com and pick an activity to do from the suggested ones for your role or another role.

PIOs and Public Educators:

• Take the Responder Safety Learning Network modules “Integrating Roadway Safety into Community Risk Reduction Programs,” "Traffic Incident Management: Strategies for Public Outreach," and "Traffic Incident Management on Rural Roads."
• Push out the Roadway Safety Short "How to Safely Pass an Emergency Scene" to your media contacts and public education outlets, including driver education classes.
• Select a Topic Plan from the Safety Stand Down list on ResponderSafety.com and pick an activity to do from the suggested ones for your role or another role.
• Share at least one of the PSAs from ResponderSafety.Com's Resources for PIOs and Public Educators page on your department's social media channel.
• Send out a media advisory on a roadway safety topic using resources from ResponderSafety.com's PIO & Public Educator Engagement page.

Frontline Responders:

• Take the Responder Safety Learning Network module, "Traffic Incident Management on Rural Roads."
• Take the Responder Safety Learning Network modules, "Safe Fire Service Traffic Control Practices" and “Manual Traffic Control” to learn more about how to conduct manual traffic control
• Earn the National TIM Training Certificate and complete the module "Traffic Incident Management on Rural Roads." Encourage your crews to earn it as well.
• Earn the Certified Traffic Incident Management Person credential. In the fall of 2020, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association will start offering this new credential that is third party accredited by The Pro Board to the NFPA 1091 standard. Responder Safety has written a comprehensive study guide to help personnel prepare for the certification exam. Visit fdsoa.org for more information on the certification. Encourage your crews to earn the certification as well.
• Select a Topic Plan from the Safety Stand Down list on ResponderSafety.com and pick an activity to do from the suggested ones for your role or another role.

Training Challenge ResponderSafety.com and the Responder Safety Learning Network encourage you to challenge your personnel to train on roadway safety practices and adopt a safety mindset when operating on the roadway by requiring or recommending to your personnel that they complete the National TIM Training Certificate from the Responder Safety Learning Network. Set a participation goal and reward if the goal is met. Personnel can prove they completed the certificate by printing and showing the National TIM Training Certificate to their supervisor or commanding officer.

More Resources You will find dozens of additional resources to help you train and improve the safety of your personnel when responding to incidents on the roadway, including vehicle fires, crashes, medical emergencies, natural disasters, and large scale responses like mass casualties and violent incidents. Here are the main categories of resources available to you. All resources are free.

• The Responder Safety Learning Network has over 45 online training modules about every aspect of roadway incident response safety
• Roadway Safety Teaching Topic Packages for Instructors with full lesson plans, videos, and model SOPs on 10 critical topics for teaching roadway incident response safety
• Roadway Safety Shorts are quick, practical videos on recommended safety practices for crucial tasks at roadway incident scenes
• Written Resources on multiple topics related to roadway incident response safety and survival.
• Videos on roadway incident response procedure demonstrations, PSAs, and recommended practices
• Struck By Incidents articles, reports, and an incident location map for line-of-duty deaths from struck-by vehicle incidents
• Emergency Vehicles information including videos and white papers on high visibility markings and emergency lighting recommended practices
• High Visibility Apparel information on requirements and recommended practices
• Resources for PIOs and Public Educators (PSAs, media kits, media advisories, infographic, push, card, and more)
• The Safety Stand Down weeklong training plan developed for Safety Stand Down has seven roadway safety topic plans that map out how each role in your department (leadership, fire officers, training officers and instructors, safety officers, PIOs and public educators, and frontline responders) can use specific ResponderSafety.com and RSLN resources to train on roadway safety.