ALDOT to host class for responders

Traffic incidents account for nearly 25 percent of all highway congestion nationwide.

The Alabama Department of Transportation will host a traffic incident management class for north Alabama first responders as part of National Crash Responder Safety Week, which takes place November 8-14.

The class will be Monday, Nov. 8, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Leak City, the utility and fire training center on East Sanderfer Road in Athens.

Glenn Taylor, ALDOT’s Traffic Management Center manager and retired state trooper, will teach safety clearance protocols and offer his unique perspective on handling incidents.

“Teaching first responders how to manage incidents quickly and safely is the core of this training,” Taylor said. “For every minute that an incident stays on a roadway, there’s a 2.8 percent chance of a secondary incident.”

Minor crashes can become a major problem. Often, secondary crashes are worse and more deadly than the initial incident.

Working crashes account for 20 percent of on-duty firefighter deaths per year and are the second leading cause of accidental law enforcement officer death. Forty-four emergency responders working a crash were struck and killed nationally in 2019. The towing industry is 15 times deadlier than all other private industries combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

First responders who would like to attend the course can sign up for TIMs training at https://www.alabamatim.org/registration.html.

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