The New York State Traffic
Incident Management (TIM) Program
In 2008, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) committed to
formalizing a statewide Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Program. VHB assisted NYSDOT
in developing this program through the formation and activities of a New York State TIM
Steering Committee. The Committee consisted of stakeholders from various member agencies
within New York State that represent incident responders as well as private entities that have a
vested interest in TIM. The first organizational meeting was held in Albany, NY, in March 2009,
and the Committee has continued to meet generally on a bi-monthly basis over the last three
years. It is the Committee’s intent to create a standard TIM program that will be implemented
statewide across all TIM agencies as well as local agencies.
The members of the Committee include:
 Empire State Towing and Recovery Association (ESTRA)
 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), New York Division
 New York State Association of Chiefs of Police (NYSACOP)
 New York State Association of Fire Chiefs (NYSAFC)
 New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), Bureau of Emergency Medical
Services (BEMS)
 New York State Department of State, Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC)
 New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)
 New York State Emergency Management Office (NYSSEMO)
 New York State Fire Coordinators’ Association (NYSFCA)
 New York State Police (NYSP)
 New York State Sheriffs Association (NYSSA)
 New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA)
The goals of the TIM Steering Committee members are to work together to provide guidance,
research, and training to meet the goals of TIM and
 Reduce safety risks
 Reduce traffic delays
 Promote effective treatment of the injured
 Keep road users informed of traffic conditions
 Reduce the occurrence of secondary incidents
 Promote efficient use of multi-agency resources
 Promote safety of responders
 Provide guidance on effective/safe diversions around incidents
 Encourage post incident reviews
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Improve communications among responders
Develop uniform training of all incident responders
Develop recommendations for legislation, policy/procedures, public outreach, and Integrating
incident/unified command structure into TIM
Provide TIM and Quick Clearance (QC) material
Share TIM and QC best practices
Institute incident scene parking guidelines
Maintain a partnership with the media
Foster prompt and accurate reporting, detection, and verification of incidents
Foster prompt and accurate notification to all responders
Promote the strategies associated with the National Unified Goal for TIM
Early activities were to develop a Charter (adopted on December 3, 2009) and Commitment of
Cooperation (adopted on January 7, 2010) that was signed by all members. This was followed by
the preparation and adoption of a New York State Traffic Incident Management Plan that was
formulated to outline the necessary elements and improvements needed to develop and maintain
a robust TIM program. Topics outlined include:
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Basic elements of the TIM Program
TIM program goals
Members of the TIM Steering Committee
Incident levels and descriptions
Roles and responsibilities of TIM stakeholders
Current TIM initiatives in New York
TIM Action Plan divided into the four National
Unified Goals categories of:
o Crosscutting
o Responder Safety
o Safe, Quick Clearance
o Prompt, Reliable, Interoperable Communications
The Plan was adopted in April 2010 and is currently undergoing an update. Because of the TIM
Program’s early accomplishments, this project was named “ITS Project of the Year” by the
Intelligent Transportation Society of New York in June 2010. Other activities include the
establishment of a TIM website, Scene Management Guidelines, Emergency Responder
Checklist, and Responder Vehicle Placement Plan. In 2011, the TIM Steering Committee was
instrumental in helping the “Move Over Law” get passed in New York State.
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Two training courses have also been developed by VHB and approved by the Committee: a halfday course for DOT personnel and a full-day course for responders, including a table top
exercise (shown below). Both training courses come equipped with instructor and student
manuals that include handouts and reference materials.
NYSDOT Region 8 is piloting a project that establishes traffic incident management teams on
Interstate 684. The mission of the team is to minimize motorist delay and increase responder and
motorist safety by practicing quick response and clearance of incidents on I-684 as part of a
comprehensive interagency Incident Management program. These teams are available to respond
to incidents on I-684 during certain hours of the day. Team members include the local police,
state police, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York City
Department of Environmental Protection, and NYSDOT. Coordination is also taking place with
the local coroner's office, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, EMS, and
local Fire Departments. This project will be expanded in the future to include deployment of
TIM teams on various roadways across New York State.
The TIM Steering Committee is dedicated to providing a program that is in support of the goals
and objectives of TIM. Since forming in 2008, the Committee is devoted to reaching out to and
engaging all stakeholders to detect, respond to, and clear traffic incidents as quickly as possible
to reduce the impacts of these incidents on safety and congestion, while also protecting the safety
of on-scene responders and the traveling public.
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