Highway incidents, such as accidents, vehicle breakdowns and dropped debris, are responsible for 50 to 60% of all highway congestion. Planned incident management can result in quicker response and a more rapid clearing of the incident. Personnel responding to an incident can operate in a safer, more efficient environment. CRCOG, recognizing the benefits of a coordinated response effort, formed an Incident Management Steering Committee for the greater Hartford area early in 1998.

This effort has recently expanded its focus to include all emergency response efforts and an Emergency Support Function 1 (Transportation) has assumed and expanded upon the early efforts of the IMSC.  This Committee is composed of representatives of State and local police, local fire services, emergency medical services, towing companies, public transportation agencies, State agencies (Transportation and Environmental Protection) and regional planning agencies.
Issues faced by these groups in their response efforts have been identified and the Committee works to address them. The goal is increased coordination, cooperation, and communication among all responding agencies. Newsletters summarizing the Committee’s efforts and successes to date are:

• January 1998 -- Introduction to Incident Management
• May 1998 -- Radio Proposal, Notification, and Diversion Plans
• July 1998 -- Diversion Plans
• November1998 -- Radios, 98-99 Work Program, Stand Pipe Survey, and Issues Identified)
• August 1999 -- Radios, Stand Pipe Response, and ITS Projects on Accelerated Schedule
• August 2000 -- Radios, Emergency Table Top Exercise
• December 2001 -- Radios
• December 2002 -- Hydrant Locators, Radios, Transit Emergency Forum, NCC-EMS
• August 2003 -- Wrecker Program, TSB & IM, After Action Debriefings, Direction Signs, Town Reimbursement, NCC-EMS, Traffic Cams, Diversion Plans
• February 2004 -- TSB adopts IM recommendations, TIMS radio protocol update
• August 2006 -- IM becomes ESF-1, TSB Update, Transportation Resources Survey, Emergency Evacuation Planning, Statewide Unified Response Manual, Online Resources
• December 2006 -- Statewide Unified Response Manual, Reducing Incident Duration, ConnDOT Diversion Plan Update, Traffic E-Alerts, Regional Evacuation & Shelter Plan, Transportation Resources Survey, Online Resources

In October 2003, the State Transportation Strategy Board endorsed the Incident Management Task Force White Paper and in November of that year, established a permanent Statewide Incident Management Task Force to address incident management issues.  News of the progress made by this statewide Task Force will be posted here, as it becomes available.  The documents produced by the initial Task Force include:

• The White Paper
• A transmittal letter describing the recommendations concerning the permanent Task Force
• Cost estimates for many of the 48 recommendations listed in the White Paper.

A report on the status of the various proposals in the White Paper was presented to the TSB in March 2006.  In July 2006, the SIMTF issued an RFQ to obtain the services of a consultant to assist in the writing of a Unified Command Manual for use in responding to incidents on the State's highways.  IBI Group of Boston was subsequently been hired to perform this work.  A first draft is now under consideration by the SIMTF.

In August 2006, CRCOG's Incident Management Steering Committee joined with the CREPC RESF-1 subcommittee to address both highway incidents and the transportation aspects of emergency management.  Documents published under this new association include:

• Municipal Transportation Resources, 12/1/06
• Daytime vs Nighttime Population in DEMHS Region 3
• ConnDOT's Role in Incident Management, presentation 10/2007

Karen Olson is the CRCOG incident management project manager. Comments or suggestions may be directed to her by email or by calling her at 860-522-2217, x15.