Wichita Metro area improves in incident response times

Part of Traffic Incident Response Week (Nov. 13 – 19) is looking at programs that are promoting a shared understanding of the requirements for quick incident clearance and best-practice safeguards for emergency responders and motorists.

In the Wichita metro area, over 1,000 emergency responders have received Traffic Incident Management (TIM) training. After an incident when two responders were struck by a vehicle at a scene in 2013, the entire Wichita Fire Department shared the program with their firefighters.

On Wichita’s highways, between 2013 and 2015, when TIM training began yielding results, traffic incident clearance times decreased by two hours. Average clearance times on highway incidents went from 150 minutes to just 34 minutes.

“TIM training showed emergency responders with different responsibilities why each  organization was doing what they were doing and how all of these roles could work together at a traffic scene,” said Kansas Highway Patrol Lieutenant Roger Baughman.

As a follow-up activity, law enforcement agencies, fire departments, EMTs, tow operators, 911 emergency communicators, WICHway traffic management center staff and other first responders meet bi-monthly to discuss recent traffic incidents, critiquing the clearance procedures and taking ideas for better scene clearance back to their organization.

Learn more about the national effort to reduce deaths and injuries to America’s emergency responders at www.respondersafety.com.

And visit the WICHway website (www.WICHway.org) to view Wichita’s highway cameras, message boards, traffic flow and road conditions during winter weather.