››› Session 5

Planning for Incident Response - Arizona Statewide Incident Management Plan

John O`Laughlin   , PB Farradyne, Inc

Responding to and managing roadway incidents has become far more important as traffic congestion has increased. Agencies of all types are becoming aware that a coordinated, well- planned approach is needed to maintain responder safety and develop effective multi-agency procedures. After a highly publicized and embarrassing long closure of a major roadway in Arizona, the Governor demanded change. This report describes the process used to develop one of the most comprehensive incident management plans ever developed. Managing roadway incidents is a growing challenge due to the significant increase in volumes of traffic on Australian roadways. Highly publicized incidents sometimes occur that result in traffic delays of several hours and led to scrutiny of the methods used by response agencies. Planning efforts to determine the best methods available for managing roadway incidents, and to make recommendations for improvements should be an important part of managing roadways and should include all response and transportation agencies.