2.4 Incident Management Systems

Incident management systems can reduce the effects of incident-related congestion by decreasing the time to detect incidents, reducing the time for responding vehicles to arrive, and decreasing the time required for traffic to return to normal conditions. The classification of benefit and cost data for incident management systems is summarized in Figure 2.4.1.

A variety of surveillance and detection technologies can help detect incidents quickly, including inductive loop or acoustic roadway detectors, and camera systems providing frequent still images or full-motion video. Information from wireless enhanced 911 systems, mayday, and automated collision notification systems, as well as roadside call boxes can also help incident management system personnel identify incidents quickly. Mobilization and response may include automated vehicle location and computer-aided dispatch systems, as well as response routing systems, to help incident response teams arrive swiftly. Motorist assistance patrols, occasionally initiated prior to the emergence of ITS technologies, are now frequently incorporated into traffic management systems. These patrols significantly reduce the time to clear incidents, especially minor ones.

Several components of incident management systems help travelers safely negotiate travel around incidents on the roadway and facilitate the rapid and safe clearance of incidents and reopening of travel lanes. In some locations, incident management personnel can directly post incident-related information to roadside traveler information devices such as dynamic message signs (DMS) or highway advisory radio (HAR). On-site, or transportation management center (TMC)-based personnel can also relay messages to traveler information, freeway management, or arterial management systems, providing incident information to travelers via additional means, including 511 systems and traveler information websites. Several technologies are available to speed the investigation of incident scenes and record necessary information for later analysis. Temporary traffic control devices help ensure the safety of incident responders and provide for the safe travel of vehicles around the incident site.

It is generally understood that incident management systems are implemented concurrently with freeway management systems, but it is important to keep in mind that arterials can be included in incident management programs as well. Coverage of arterials by incident management programs is increasing, particularly in areas with well-established programs.

Table 2.4.1 provides information on the benefits and costs of incident management systems. An assessment of the impact of these systems is indicated by using the symbols in the Impact Legend at the bottom of each page.

Table 2.4.1 – Benefits and Costs of Incident Management Systems

Surveillance and Detection

Benefits
Goal Area	# of Studies	Impact	Example
(New) Customer Satisfaction	2	+	TMC staff in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, indicated a real-time traffic information system used to monitor traffic density and congestion was useful and helped improve coverage for incident management.[98]
Costs
Unit Costs Database	Roadside Telecommunication subsystem Roadside Detection subsystem Transportation Management Center subsystem		See Appendix A
System Cost	The Georgia DOT installed 147 call boxes along a 39-mile rural section of I-185 as part of a pilot project. The total project cost included 147 call boxes, three computer systems at the answer center, and one computer at the maintenance center.[99]		Total project cost: $911,873 Average cost per-call box, including construction: $5,590 (1999) Annual O&M breakdown: Maintenance cost for one year: $51,450 (1999) Cellular service cost for one year: $38,808 (1999)

Mobilization and Response

Benefits
Goal Area	# of Studies	Impact	Example
Safety	6	+	In San Antonio, Texas, combined incident management and freeway management systems along the Medical Center corridor reduced crashes by 2.8%.[10]
Mobility	9	++	A study of the Coordinated Highways Action Response Team (CHART) in Maryland found that the system reduced average incident duration by 57% in 2000 and 55% in 1999.[100]
Customer Satisfaction	1	+	Motorist assistance patrols are well-received by the public. The Virginia Department of Transportation has published hundreds of "thank you" letters received regarding their Safety Service Patrol.[101]
Productivity	5	+	Delay savings identified in studies of freeway service patrols implemented in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, Denver, Colorado, and Northwest Indiana documented annual benefits of $1.2 to $1.8 million through reductions in the duration of incidents and related congestion.[6]
Energy/ Environment	5	+	Reductions in incident-related delay also lead to fuel savings and related emissions reductions. A simulation study of the San Antonio, Texas, TransGuide system of freeway and incident management found the system saved an average 2,600 gallons of fuel during major incidents.[102]
Costs
Unit Costs Database	Transportation Management Center subsystem		See Appendix A
(New) System Cost	In San Antonio, Texas, an integrated freeway/incident management system was developed as part of a freeway expansion project. The project covered a 28.9-mile stretch of I-10, I-410, and US 281 in the northern region of San Antonio. The majority of the cost was for surveillance, detection, and information equipment and communications hardware. Detection technologies such as acoustic sensors, loops, and digital detectors, CCTV cameras, dynamic message signs and lane control systems, and supporting fiber optic communications infrastructure were deployed. The cost of mobilization (e.g., keeping traffic moving during deployment) during the expansion was approximately $2 million (1998). This cost was kept low based on the planning decision to deploy the ITS components as part of the highway reconstruction.[10]		Cost of the freeway and incident management expansion project: approximately $26.6 million (1998) Estimated annual O&M cost: $852,000 (1998)
(New) System Cost	A freeway courtesy patrol (FCP) was implemented in the Detroit, Michigan, area in 1994. Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) administers the program as part of its larger freeway incident management program out of the Michigan Intelligent Transportation Systems Center (MITSC) in Detroit. In 2003, the program employed 32 drivers. The fleet includes 34 vehicles, of which 29 are vans and 5 are tow trucks. The standard hours of patrolling are from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The patrol also operates on special-event days (e.g., major community public events and sporting events).[9]		Cost to operate the FCP in 2003: $2.5 million Cost to operate the FCP in 2002: $2 million
System Cost	Dane County, Wisconsin, implemented an interagency dispatch and reporting coordination system to improve response to incidents and emergencies. Police vehicles are equipped with on-board computers used to transmit incident data to a central dispatching database.[53]		Cost per vehicle: $8,000–$10,000

Information Dissemination

Benefits
No data to report.
Costs
Unit Costs Database	Roadside Telecommunications subsystem Roadside Information subsystem Transportation Management Center subsystem	See Appendix A
(New) System Cost	For the San Antonio, Texas, integrated freeway/incident management system mentioned earlier in this section, a total of 77 variable message signs (VMS) were deployed: 23 large and 54 small. The signs were deployed as part of a freeway expansion project. The project covered a 28.9-mile stretch of I-10, I-410, and US 281 in the northern region of San Antonio.[10]	Costs of 23 large VMS: $2,035,257 (1998) Costs of 54 small VMS: $2,340,763 (1998)

Clearance and Recovery: Investigation

Benefits
No data to report.
Costs
Unit Costs Database	Transportation Management subsystem	See Appendix A
System Cost	Computer-aided incident investigation equipment was purchased as part of the Phoenix, Arizona, Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative (MMDI) to reduce incident clearance time and improve the quality of accident investigations. The initial cost of the project included hardware, software, and training.[60]	Total start-up cost: $147,000 (1998) Annual O&M costs: $4,305 (not including labor) (1998)
System Cost	Minnesota DOT and the Minnesota State Patrol have implemented a pilot automated field reporting system that enables law enforcement officials to use an in-vehicle computer to record and submit incident information.[53]	Cost per vehicle: $8,000–$10,000

2.5 Emergency Management Systems

Benefits of emergency management include improved notification, dispatch, and guidance of emergency responders to the scene of an incident. Figure 2.5.1 shows the current classification of benefits and costs for emergency management systems. ITS applications in emergency management cover hazardous materials management, the deployment of emergency medical systems, and large- and small-scale emergency response and evacuation operations. Each of these systems can improve public safety by decreasing response times and increasing the operational efficiency of safety professionals during emergency situations, such as hurricane evacuations.

Across the United States, federal, state, and local governments are working to support first responders, secure our borders, and improve technology for national security. As these programs come to fruition, additional information will become available on the benefits of ITS for emergency management activities.

ITS applications associated with hazardous materials (HAZMAT) shipment can accomplish four major functions intended to provide for the safe and secure transport of hazardous materials by road. Vehicle-mounted hardware provides the capability to track HAZMAT shipments and support the notification of management centers when a shipment deviates from its intended route. Roadside detectors can monitor for the presence of hazardous shipments in sensitive areas and, if electronic tag information is available on the detected vehicle, confirm that the shipment is on the expected route. Driver authentication technology can confirm that the individual operating a HAZMAT vehicle is authorized to do so and report operation by unexpected drivers to public safety entities. ITS can also provide assistance to commercial vehicle operators via electronic route planning services, ensuring compliance with HAZMAT shipment restrictions along planned travel routes.[104]

Advanced automated collision notification (ACN) and telemedicine address the detection of and response to incidents such as vehicle collisions or other incidents requiring emergency responders. In rural areas, response time for emergency medical services is greater than in metropolitan areas, resulting in more severe consequences for those in need of medical assistance. Advanced automated collision notification systems can notify emergency personnel and provide them with valuable information on the crash, including location, crash characteristics, and possibly relevant medical information regarding the vehicle occupants. Telemedicine systems provide a link between responding ambulances and emergency medical facilities, enabling doctors to advise emergency medical personnel regarding treatment of patients en route to the hospital.

The variety of sensors deployed on the transportation infrastructure can help provide an early warning system to detect large-scale emergencies, including natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, winter storms, tsunamis, etc.) and technological and man-made disasters (HAZMAT incidents, nuclear power plant accidents, and acts of terrorism, including nuclear, chemical, biological, and radiological weapons attacks). In the event of a large-scale emergency, ITS applications can assist with response management through services such as the tracking of emergency vehicle fleets using automated vehicle location (AVL) technology and two-way communications between emergency vehicles and dispatchers. Evacuation operations often require a coordinated emergency response involving multiple agencies, various emergency centers, and numerous response plans. Integration with traffic and transit management systems enables emergency information to be shared between public and private agencies and the traveling public. This communication and cooperation also enables the use of the variety of ITS information dissemination capabilities to provide emergency traveler information.

Table 2.5.1 provides information on the benefits and costs of emergency management systems. An assessment of the impact of these systems is indicated by using the symbols in the Impact Legend at the bottom of each page.

Table 2.5.1 – Benefits and Costs of Emergency Management Systems

Hazardous Materials Management

Benefits
No data to report.
Costs
Unit Costs Database	Emergency Response Center subsystem Emergency Vehicle On-Board subsystem Fleet Management Center subsystem	See Appendix A
System Cost	No data to report.

Emergency Medical Services: Advanced ACN

Benefits
No data to report.
Costs
Unit Costs Database	Emergency Response Center subsystem Vehicle On-Board subsystem	See Appendix A
System Cost	No data to report.

Emergency Medical Services: Telemedicine

Benefits
Goal Area	# of Studies	Impact	Example
Customer Satisfaction	1	+/-	The LifeLink project in San Antonio, Texas, enabled emergency room doctors to communicate with emergency medical technicians (EMTs) using two-way video, audio, and data communications. EMTs and doctors had mixed opinions about the system; however, it was expected that this technology would have more positive impacts in rural areas.[10]
Costs
Unit Costs Database	Roadside Telecommunications subsystem Emergency Response Center subsystem Emergency Vehicle On-Board subsystem		See Appendix A
System Cost	The LifeLink project (San Antonio, Texas) was deployed to provide improved emergency services. The system supports voice and video teleconferencing between University Hospital and 10 of the ambulances in the San Antonio Fire Department. Much of the cost of the project is attributed to research and development.[10]		Project cost: $3.25 million (1998) Annual O&M cost: $25,325 (1998)

Response and Recovery: Response Management

Benefits
No data to report.
Costs
Unit Costs Database	Emergency Response Center subsystem Emergency Vehicle On-Board subsystem	See Appendix A
(New) System Cost	The Combined Transportation, Emergency & Communication Center (CTECC) is a multiagency partnership between the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Austin District, Travis County, City of Austin, and Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The technological systems presently involved in the CTECC include 911 call handling, radio trunking, computer aided dispatch (CAD), mobile data computer (MDC) including AVL, and transportation and transit services. These integrated systems are essential to the delivery of emergency and transportation services in the Austin and Travis County region.[11]	PBX telephone equipment: $677,125 Client/server LAN/WAN equipment: $727,537 Video wall equipment: $2.16 million Audio/video distribution equipment: $706,427 Structured wiring and cabling: $500,340 Miscellaneous computer equipment: $209,000
System Cost	To overcome the lack of shared communication among emergency operations centers (EOCs) in the Seattle, Washington, metropolitan area, the Smart Trek project purchased and distributed to each EOC communications equipment that operated on the same frequency. The project cost included the purchase of sixteen 800 MHz radios, three repeater station upgrades, other equipment, and planning and development labor costs.[5]	Project cost: $151,700 (1998) Annual O&M cost: $2,860 (1998)

Table of Contents | Previous | Next

ITS Home | US DOT Home | Privacy | Feedback

United States Department of Transportation - ITS