S a n A n t o n i o I n c i d e n t M a n a g e m e n t P l a n Prepared for San Antonio/ Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization M a y 2 0 0 2 Prepared by PB Farradyne, a division of Parsons Brinkerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc. Other San Antonio Incident Management Plan Team Members: Klotz Associates Ximenes & Associates, Inc. San Antonio Incident Management Plan May 2002 TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S T A B L E O SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION F C 1.1 Foreword.................................................................................................1 O N 1.2 Purpose...................................................................................................2 T E N T SECTION 2 METHODOLOGY S 2.1 Task 1- Project Kickoff/ Task 2- Research and Background...................4 2.2 Task 3- Incident Management Plan Development..................................5 2.3 Task 4- Final Incident Management Report............................................5 SECTION 3 CURRENT INCIDENT MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ...................................................................................................6 SECTION 4 SUMMARY OF ISSUES ...................................................................................................9 SECTION 5 RECOMMENDATIONS ..............................................................................................................12 5.1 Response Recommendations...............................................................14 5.2 Site Management Recommendations...................................................18 5.3 Clearance Recommendations ..............................................................25 San Antonio Incident Management Plan i May 2002 T A B L E O SECTION 5 IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS F C ...............................................................................................................30 O N SECTION 6 CONCLUSIONS T E N ...............................................................................................................31 T S APPENDICES Appendix A- San Antonio Past and Current Incident Management Procedures and Policies ...............................................................................................................32 San Antonio Incident Management Plan ii May 2002 I N T R O D U C T I O N I N T R O Traffic accidents cause much of the non- together work well in detecting, responding D recurring congestion and resulting delay on to, investigating and clearing incidents. U the San Antonio freeway network. This However, there is no documented, formal C congestion spills over onto the local coordinated incident management plan for T I municipality’s arterial streets and residential San Antonio. O streets. Leaders in key agencies N As the traffic in the San Antonio area responsible for managing the traffic in and becomes heavier and additional roadways around the City of San Antonio have worked are constructed, the focus on incident together to reduce the impact of incidents on management becomes more important. The responder safety, the motoring public and air primary goal during any traffic incident is quality. Their efforts, underway for several public safety. Good institutional years, have improved the management of relationships and knowledge of the available traffic incidents. Local leaders recognized resources and implemented policies are that a review and subsequent critical to handling a traffic situation safely recommendations could help them improve and efficiently. operations even more than already accomplished. This document serves as that formal plan identifying roles and responsibilities, as well The purpose of this study is to provide the as actions to take when responding to framework and local requirements needed to incidents. implement an Incident Management System (Freeway Management System) that 1.1 Foreword involves detection, response and clearance of freeway incidents to minimize the San Antonio has taken an aggressive disruption caused by an accident. The study approach to reducing the impacts of was accomplished by conducting a review of incidents on the San Antonio motoring current practices, interviewing experienced public. All responders recognize the impacts transportation and emergency response of a reduced capacity has on the freeway personnel, documenting the findings, and network caused by incidents. Clearing summarizing the current status of incident incidents faster and opening the roadway management services. Incident sooner will reduce the congestion created by management procedures were compared the incident. Reducing the congestion level with other programs around the nation and and the time needed to dissipate that in other nations to determine what elements congestion, improves the traffic flow of the of other programs would work well in the roadway network and improves the safety of San Antonio region. the responders and motorists by reducing the probability of secondary incidents. Currently, each agency has incident Reducing delay caused by the congestion management policies and procedures and San Antonio Incident Management Plan 1 May 2002 I N T R will also reduce the air quality impacts to the ♦ Tom Polonis O San Antonio region. Coordinated incident San Antonio Police Dept. D U management is a tool to achieve and ♦ Ismael Garza C maintain air quality standards. Responders, City of San Antonio Public Works T including police, fire, emergency medical ♦ Jeanne Geiger I O services and TxDOT maintenance, as well SA-BC MPO N as the private sector, including the towing ♦ Rick Gomez services and trucking associations, SA-BC MPO recognize the safety, economic, and quality ♦ Richard Higby of life impacts of freeway blockages. Bexar County Public Works ♦ Carl Mixon The TransGuide System, recognized as one Bexar County Fire Marshall of the very best traffic management systems ♦ Michael Ledesma by international transportation professionals, VIA has supported good incident management ♦ Charles Skinner on the San Antonio urban interstate highway Bexar County Sheriffs Dept. system. The center has expanded ♦ Chuck O’Dell responsibilities and added systems to San Antonio Police Dept. become a highly effective tool for providing timely motorist information facilitating the 1.2 Purpose removal of traffic accidents and re- establishing the traffic flow in the San San Antonio incident management and Antonio Metropolitan Area. transportation operations staff have With TransGuide as the cornerstone, all recognized the importance of working have worked together to detect, respond to, together as a team to collectively solve San investigate, and clear the incident as quickly Antonio’s congestion problems. One as possible, while maintaining the safety and element of reducing congestion is security of the responders and motorists minimizing the effects caused by incidents, affected by the incidents. planned or un-planned. The following were instrumental in achieving San Antonio has, to date, initiated and the goals and objectives of coordinated San adopted many of the strategies presented at Antonio incident management. They are the past San Antonio Incident Management members of the San Antonio Incident Workshops. In fact, TxDOT San Antonio Management Oversight Committee. operations staff has estimated that incident clearance times have been reduced by 40% ♦ John Friebele after adoption of coordinated incident City of San Antonio Public Works management practices. These new ♦ Pat Irwin Texas Dept. of Transportation San Antonio Incident Management Plan 2 May 2002 I N T R O procedures, while effectively implemented, D are not formally documented. This plan U formally documents these practices and C provides recommendations. T I O This formal incident management plan will N serve as the foundation to ensure the knowledge and relationships developed by the current incident management team are transferred and continued to the next generation of responders and that the goals and objectives of detecting, responding to, investigating and clearing incidents quickly and safely are maintained. San Antonio Incident Management Plan 3 May 2002 M E T H O D O L O G Y M E T H The San Antonio region has adopted many 2.1 Task 1- Project Kickoff/ Task O 2-Research and Background D incident management strategies and O methods that have resulted in significantly ♦ Met with San Antonio Incident L reducing incident detection, response, Management Oversight Committee O investigation and clearance. However, G ♦ Facilitated expanded stakeholder Y formal documentation of these coordinated workshop strategies and methods are not available. In ♦ Documented the results of past San order to capture these procedures, the Antonio Incident Management following steps were taken to formally Workshops document San Antonio’s coordinated ♦ Identified additional San Antonio incident management policies and area incident management procedures. stakeholders To properly lay the foundation for San ♦ Determined incident management Antonio’s coordinated incident management resources available policies and procedures, the San Antonio ♦ And developed a summary report Incident Management team researched and containing all of the above documented where San Antonio is today regarding coordinated incident management. The research and background effort was The San Antonio area incident management initiated with the project kickoff held April 5, senior staff, through the San Antonio/Bexar 2001 in San Antonio at the VIA Metro County Metropolitan Planning Organization, Center. The purpose of the kickoff was to contracted with PB Farradyne to document allow the San Antonio Incident Management San Antonio’s coordinated incident Oversight Committee to provide input into management efforts. The team assembled the plan development and to meet all to develop this plan has worked with urban stakeholders, both public and private, in a regions throughout the United States and workshop format to solicit comments, other countries. They have conducted insights and “buy-in” from all stakeholders similar projects or conducted training over with an interest in incident management in 100 times in 40 states and 3 other nations. San Antonio. Each of those projects became opportunities to gather facts about programs and collect The results of the research and background supporting documentation for incident task are thoroughly documented in the San management activities. The PB Farradyne Antonio Past and Current Incident team of PB Farradyne, Klotz Associates, Inc. Management Procedures and Policies and Ximenes & Associates, Inc. developed document. This document also provides a this San Antonio Incident Management Plan comprehensive list of San Antonio incident document under the following scope of work management stakeholder agencies and tasks: San Antonio Incident Management Plan 4 May 2002 M E T H O includes agency contact persons; addresses Results from that meeting and other D and telephone numbers involved in the comments from the committee members are O incident management plan process for the reflected in this final San Antonio Incident L San Antonio region. Management Plan document. O G San Antonio past and current incident 2.3 Task 4- Final Incident Y Management Report management procedures and policies are summarized in Section 3 of this document. ♦ Prepare a report documenting The full San Antonio Past and Current previous task development Incident Management Procedures and ♦ Present the report to the San Policies document is included in this AntonioIncident Management Plan document and is found in the appendix. Oversight Committee 2.2 Task 3- Incident The final document incorporated all Management Plan Development comments from the San Antonio Incident Management Oversight Committee and was ♦ Develop a functional incident formally presented to this committee. management plan framework ♦ Identify and develop recommendations for overcoming agency institutional issues ♦ Identify and develop recommendations for implementing the incident management plan ♦ Determine capital and operational costs, including personnel, equipment, training and other associated costs required to maintain an effective incident management program. This effort culminated in the San Antonio Incident Management Plan outline and draft San Antonio Incident Management Plan document. An overview was presented to the San Antonio Incident Management Oversight Committee on March 8, 2002 to receive their input on the recommendations. San Antonio Incident Management Plan 5 May 2002 C U R R E N T I N C I D E N T M A N A G E M E N T C U P O L I C I E S A N D P R O C E D U R E S R R E San Antonio area incident management traffic to its normal flow. Certain agencies N coordinators and responders over the past have agreements with each other to T several years have developed policies and coordinate their incident management I procedures to support coordinated incident efforts, and some documented procedures N C management. This section summarizes exist to define the steps to be taken after an I current San Antonio incident management incident occurs. The agencies, agreements, D policies and procedures. A detailed and procedures are all defined in the San E N narrative of San Antonio’s past and current Antonio – Past and Current Incident T incident management policies and Management Procedures and Policies M procedures can be found in the San Antonio document. A – Past and Current Incident Management N Procedures and Policies document. This TransGuide is the San Antonio Region’s A document is an appendix to this plan. traffic management center and the central G point of coordination for managing incidents E M As a preliminary step to preparing a formal in the region. TransGuide collects E Incident Management Plan for San Antonio, information about traffic conditions with the N research was done on the existing use of cameras, vehicle detection systems T procedures and practices crucial to the and fiber optics. Information about traffic P preparation of a formal plan. conditions such as accidents, congestion O and construction is then provided to L I The concepts and ideas of the San Antonio motorists with the message signs on the C Incident Management Policies and highways, the Internet, and by television. E S Procedures were developed at the various Traffic information is also disseminated to San Antonio Incident Management the partners of TransGuide including TxDOT, A Workshops. The initial workshops were held the City of San Antonio (police/fire/EMS/ N D in October 2000. Additional workshops and traffic), and VIA so they can respond to meetings were held between April 2001 and accidents and emergencies. Good incident P R June 2001. The people involved in incident management depends on the O management were surveyed on what communication and cooperation of all the C personnel, equipment and training is responding agencies. E currently in place and what is needed for the D U future. The needs of other groups such as Current incident management practices vary R the public transit, coroners, traffic media, from agency to agency. Typically, a E trucking organizations, and roadway documented procedure is not available, but S contractors were also considered. certain actions are taken by each agency during various types of incidents. The San Various agencies and their staff are available Antonio Police Department, the Fire to clear the specific incident and restore the Department, 911 Services, San Antonio San Antonio Incident Management Plan 6 May 2002 C U R R E District TxDOT, San Antonio Public Works, disposal. The TNRCC has an agreement N and the TxDOT Courtesy Patrol all respond with TxDOT for the containment, cleanup, T to highway incidents and have departmental and mitigation of spills or discharges of oil or I procedures to handle a traffic incident or a other hazardous substances. N hazardous material spill. These procedures C I for each agency were assimilated and An effective incident management plan is D documented. only as good as the resources available to E N coordinate and respond to the incident. A T Two documented plans exist for the list of stakeholders, or groups and agencies procedure to handle a hazardous material that would be affected by a formal Incident M spill – the San Antonio Emergency Management Plan, was compiled to use for A N Management Book: Hazardous Material invitations to workshops and informative A Spills and the State of Texas Oil and meetings and for distribution of the future G Hazardous Substances Spill Contingency plan. The purpose of this was so the input E M Plan. The San Antonio Emergency and comments of all the involved entities E Management Book: Hazardous Material could be incorporated into the proposed N Spills is a field document that provides the plan. T City personnel with guidelines to minimize P hazards caused by accidents involving the A survey was sent out to the stakeholders to O uncontrolled release or spill of hazardous help identify the current, future budgeted L materials. The State of Texas Oil and and future non-programmed incident I C Hazardous Substances Spill Contingency management response resources for the E Plan is a reference document that provides various agencies. Each agency was asked S general guidance for a response to oil and to describe their resources including their A hazardous substance spills and notification equipment, personnel, training, and current N D procedures to report spills to state and incident management policies and federal agencies. procedures. Eleven agencies responded to P the survey, and a summary of the results can R O The inter-agency agreements between be found in the San Antonio – Past and C responding agencies were also evaluated as Current Incident Management Procedures E a resource for incident management. The and Policies document. D City of San Antonio has an agreement with U R Texas Towing to accommodate their towing Stakeholder interviews were held to obtain E needs at traffic accidents and stalls. Texas and/or verify their role in incident S Towing has an agreement with ARS, an management. The stakeholder interviews environmental firm, to handle all spills on the were a combination of meetings and City streets. ARS is responsible for HazMat workshops that each stakeholder was invited Emergency Response clean up and to attend. The comments and concerns of San Antonio Incident Management Plan 7 May 2002