Sharing Information between Public Safety and Transportation Agencies for Traffic Incident Management (2004)

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G-1 APPENDIX G SAN ANTONIO,TEXAS, CASE STUDY 1 INTRODUCTION A number of public and private stakeholders alike in the San Antonio metropolitan area play an active role in traffic incident management (TIM) activities, including TxDOT, San Antonio Police Department (San Antonio PD), San Antonio Fire Department (San Antonio FD), San Antonio Emergency Medical Services (San Antonio EMS), and towing and recov- ery service providers. The efforts of these responders have been greatly enhanced through information sharing, espe- cially between public safety agencies and transportation agen- cies, both in the context of planning and operational activities. Initiatives enhancing information sharing in the context of TIM in the San Antonio metropolitan area include the devel- opment of sound institutional structures, joint planning and operations, and joint-procurement and operation of commu- nication and data systems. Discussed in this section are the institutional structures, roles, and responsibilities of TxDOT, San Antonio PD, San Antonio FD, and San Antonio EMS as they relate to TIM. The points of contact for this site visit were as follows: Patrick L. Irwin, P.E. Director of Transportation Operations TxDOT San Antonio District 3500 N.W. Loop 410 San Antonio, Texas 78229 201.731.5249 (voice) 201.731.5310 (fax) Brian G. Fariello Traffic Management Engineer TxDOT San Antonio District 3500 N.W. Loop 410 San Antonio, Texas 78229 201.731.5247 (voice) 201.731.5310 (fax) Captain Tom Polonis San Antonio PD 7461 Callaghan Road San Antonio, Texas 78229 210.207.2384 (voice) 210.207.2426 (fax) 1.1 Institutional Framework The institutional framework underlying information shar- ing among public safety agencies and transportation agencies in the San Antonio metropolitan area is the result of the Cor- ridor Management Team (CMT) and joint planning, joint training, and co-location of transportation and law enforce- ment in the TransGuide Operations Center. Each of these ele- ments is described below. 1.1.1 Corridor Management Team The CMT, chaired by the TxDOT District Traffic Engineer, was originally conceived in the 1960s. Increased importance was placed on the CMT as it was identified as an effective mechanism for fostering communication and coordination among responders when TxDOT and San Antonio PD began to more aggressively manage traffic incidents in the 1990s. The CMT consists of representatives from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, San Antonio Public Works Department, Alamo Dome, San Antonio PD, Bexar County Sheriff’s Department, EMS, towing and recovery service providers, and county health agencies. The sole purpose for the CMT and its meetings is to pro- vide an unofficial and informal platform to discuss traffic operations. Critical to the success of the CMT is that turf issues are set aside and participants are provided the oppor- tunity to speak freely without feeling intimidated. The CMT meets each month to discuss, among other things, • Current traffic hot spots and potential mitigation strategies, • Operational strategies during construction activities, • Potential traffic impacts of upcoming special events and potential response strategies, and • Operational performance during major incidents that recently occurred. 1.1.2 Joint Planning Activities Under the leadership of the San Antonio/Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization, a regional incident man- agement plan was developed in May 2002 to enhance an already accomplished incident management program. The plan is intended to serve as a foundation to ensure that the knowledge and relationships previously developed are carried

on and that the goals and objectives of detecting, responding to, investigating, and clearing incidents quickly and safely are maintained (1). The plan included strategies to improve response, site management, and clearance. 1.1.3 Joint Training Activities Join training activities have strengthened the institutional framework and operational capabilities of incident respon- ders in the San Antonio metropolitan area. Three varieties of training activities have been employed: mock incidents, tabletop exercises, and classroom workshops that are taught by outside consultants. Each of these training activities is structured in a manner to encourage participation by each responder. 1.1.4 TransGuide Operations Center Co-Location The TransGuide Operation Center has been specifically designed to provide a central point of coordination in responding to emergencies for TxDOT and San Antonio PD. Co-location has strengthened existing relationships of the two agencies from two perspectives. First, it provided the opportunity to foster coalition through cooperative develop- ment of operational requirements and deployment of com- munication and data systems that support incident manage- ment functions. Second, the agencies have been able to work side by side during major and minor incidents, which has ultimately resulted in stronger working relationships. Further centralization of San Antonio PD and TxDOT dispatch func- tions in the TOC lends itself to synergy and optimization in responding to incidents. The relationship between the city of San Antonio and TxDOT has been further strengthened by the San Antonio PD co-location in the center in that the city of San Antonio has worked with TxDOT to implement a back-up public safety answering point (PSAP) in the same facility that houses the TransGuide Operations Center. An interface with the City Hall has also provided a foundation for information sharing with other responders such as San Antonio FD, or those whose operational responsibilities might be affected by traffic incidents and other transporta- tion emergencies. 1.2 Roles and Responsibilities Outlined below are the diverse roles and responsibilities of the primary public-sector entities that respond to traffic inci- dents in the San Antonio metropolitan area. It is important to note that in the state of Texas, local law enforcement agen- cies are responsible for responding to traffic incidents that occur on the freeways within the city limits. G-2 1.2.1 TxDOT TxDOT provides numerous support functions related to managing traffic incidents, including freeway management, traveler information dissemination, congestion management, and operations of courtesy patrols. Each of these functions is an element of TransGuide, TxDOT’s “Smart Highway” proj- ect for the San Antonio metropolitan district. TransGuide objectives include • Improve traveler safety on San Antonio’s freeway system, • Improve response by police and emergency services personnel and equipment in (1) treating and transport- ing injured people to hospitals and (2) assessing and clearing traffic incidents, and • Reduce the traffic congestion delay experienced by free- way travelers. Originally implemented in the mid-1990s, TransGuide had many of its functions enhanced through the San Antonio Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative (MMDI). Under the leadership of TxDOT, the San Antonio metropolitan region was selected in 1997 as one of four federally funded, national MMDI projects that focused on aggressive deploy- ment of regionwide intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The system has since been expanded to cover 73 miles of free- way in the San Antonio metropolitan area (2). The Trans- Guide Operations Center is operated 20 hours a day (4:00 a.m. until 12:00 a.m.) usually and 24 hours a day during special events, emergencies, major incidents, and adverse weather conditions (such as flooding or icing). Also critical to TxDOT’s incident management functions is the incident detection system that is composed of three pri- mary components: loop detectors that are implemented along the freeway to collect traffic data, a central processing sys- tem, and a set of predefined scenarios. Data collected by the loop detectors are communicated to the TransGuide Opera- tions Center, where they are processed to identify abnormal- ities in traffic flow. If possible, the abnormality that has been detected is verified with closed-circuit television (CCTV). If it is determined that there is an incident, various predeter- mined scenarios can be implemented to control dynamic mes- sage signs (DMSs) and lane control signals (LCSs), and advi- sories can be posted on the TransGuide website. The TransGuide traveler information website provides a variety of information: • Current Conditions Map—Provides current traffic conditions, with congestion levels indicated by average speeds, on San Antonio’s freeways. • Incident Map—Combines a traffic conditions map with icons representing incidents that have been reported to the San Antonio PD and TxDOT. • Incident Data—Provide a textual description of all active incidents in the San Antonio metropolitan area.

• Lane Closure Map—Combines the traffic conditions of the main map with icons representing scheduled and emergency lane closures throughout the city. • Lane Closure Data—List all scheduled and emergency lane closures in the San Antonio metropolitan area. • Equipment Status—Provides status of TransGuide equipment, such as messages being displayed on mes- sage signs around town and camera images (3). Traveler information functions also include the operation of a low-powered television station that is used to dissemi- nate CCTV images to the local media. CCTVs are spaced at 1-mile intervals throughout the freeway system. The CCTV system was also designed to provide other responders with video surveillance to help support response activities. TxDOT also operates courtesy patrols during peak peri- ods. These patrols are dispatched from the TransGuide Oper- ations Center by both TxDOT and San Antonio PD, and their duties typically include • Removing debris, • Assisting motorists with broken-down vehicles, • Assisting San Antonio PD with traffic management, and • Helping to move and operate TxDOT equipment. 1.2.2 San Antonio PD As mentioned previously, local police agencies in the state of Texas are responsible for responding to traffic incidents that occur on freeways in the metropolitan areas. To support this effort, San Antonio PD has 210 officers assigned to the traffic operations unit. Officers in this unit are responsible for managing traffic, conducting crash investigations, and provid- ing assistance with containment of hazardous materials spills. The traffic operations unit also actively participates in traffic management during special events. Officers in the traffic operations unit are dispatched from one of the two consoles that San Antonio PD has located within the TransGuide Operations Center. In addition, from its position within the TransGuide Operations Center, San Antonio PD is able to provide updated incident information, including traffic conditions and lane closures, and interface with TxDOT’s traveler information system. 1.2.3 San Antonio FD San Antonio FD also plays a critical role in managing traf- fic incidents in the San Antonio metropolitan area. Primary roles at the incident scene include fire protection and medical treatment that are provided by first responders. Special opera- tions units within the department, each with unique apparatus and response equipment, also play a critical role in incident G-3 management in managing traffic incidents. The operations units include the following: • Fire Fighting Division—Provides fire protection and medical first responder service from 48 different fire sta- tions in the San Antonio metropolitan area. The Fire Fighting Division operates 15 first responder squads in fire stations designated as double companies (including both a pumper-truck and a truck). • Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT)— Provides specially trained personnel at the site of a haz- ardous materials release who can perform the proper cor- rective actions to end the threat of a release or potential release of hazardous materials. The HMRT is also the primary response arm of the Weapons of Mass Destruc- tion Domestic Terrorism Program. Members are trained to identify hazardous materials agents, assist in the col- lection of samples, and supervise mass decontamination operations performed by the Fire Suppression Division. • San Antonio EMS—Provides advanced life support at the incident scene and transports patients to appropriate medical facilities. Medical control is also provided to San Antonio EMS by physicians via voice communica- tion on a 24-hour basis (4). The San Antonio FD is responsible for determining— through information provided by either the person placing the emergency call or another responder—whether HMRT needs to be dispatched along with responders from the fire- fighting division. As a result, at times it is necessary to dis- patch both HMRT and the firefighting division because it is not always possible to determine whether an incident involves hazardous materials. 1.3 Site Contributors Pat Irwin, Director of Transportation Operations, TxDOT, San Antonio District, hosted the site visit to the TransGuide operation center along with Captain Tom Polonis of the San Antonio PD. Additionally, Brian G. Fariello, Traffic Man- agement Engineer, TxDOT, San Antonio District, hosted a tour of the TransGuide operation center that provided an opportunity to observe operations. 2 INFORMATION-SHARING METHODS Incident responders in San Antonio have a long history of cooperatively managing traffic incidents. Underpinning these activities has been the ability to communicate and exchange information from both a planning and operational perspec- tive. Described below are methods employed by the various incident responders in the San Antonio metropolitan area to share operational information.

2.1 Face-to-Face To support incident management operations, TxDOT and San Antonio PD have multiple means of supporting voice communication. By virtue of their co-location in the Trans- Guide Operations Center, operations personnel are able to communicate face-to-face to support incident management operations. This has proven very useful in enhancing opera- tions and fostering coordination and cooperation. 2.2 Remote Voice The San Antonio PD dispatcher located in the TransGuide Operations Center, using one of two consoles, is also able to dispatch TxDOT courtesy patrols using the San Antonio PD radio system. Each courtesy patrol is equipped with a San Antonio PD mobile radio unit. Having the San Antonio PD radio in the courtesy patrol also enables TxDOT to commu- nicate with San Antonio PD officers responding to incidents while in the field. The city of San Antonio, in cooperation with Bexar County, is in the process of deploying a new trunked-radio system to support public safety operations throughout the city and county. Once implemented, this system will provide a com- mon frequency for San Antonio PD, San Antonio FD, and TxDOT to communicate in the field while managing traffic incidents. 2.3 Text Transfer San Antonio PD is able to provide TxDOT with incident data through an interface between San Antonio PD’s CAD system and the TransGuide traveller information system. This interface enables incidents occurring on surface streets and the freeway network alike to be entered by San Antonio PD and displayed on the TransGuide website. However, this system does not provide TxDOT with the ability to modify incidents generated by San Antonio PD. This data interface was implemented during the initial phase of TransGuide. G-4 2.4 Other Media and Advanced Methods The TxDOT-operated TransGuide system includes CCTVs that are implemented on 73 miles of freeway throughout the metropolitan area. Although TxDOT maintains control of the cameras, video images are disseminated to the media and to the San Antonio City Hall via the City of San Antonio Wide Area Network (WAN). The direct video connection serves two purposes. First, it enables live video to be broadcast to the public via the City Hall informational television channel. Second, the video sig- nal is routed from City Hall to other incident responders, including City of San Antonio Public Works Department, San Antonio PD, San Antonio FD dispatch center, City Council office, and the city’s emergency operations center, which is also located in the same building as TransGuide. Plans to upgrade the system include an external video switch that enables external users to view images that they select, as opposed to limiting images to those pre-selected by TxDOT. In addition, TransGuide shares video with other emer- gency responders, the local media, and the public by broad- casting live video over a 1,000-watt, low-power television (LPTV) system (5). This system provides up to four views that are selected by the TransGuide operations staff. This system can also be used by incident responders to assist in determining what equipment and vehicles are the most appro- priate for the response. 3 REFERENCES 1. San Antonio Incident Management Plan. Prepared for the San Antonio/Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization. Prepared by PB Farradyne, Klotz Associates, and Ximenes & Associates. May 2002. 2. http://www.transguide.dot.state.tx.us/docs/transguide_update.html 3. http://www.transguide.dot.state.tx.us/Traffic/index.php 4. http://www.sanantonio.gov/safd/ResponseCapabilities/fire.asp 5. Fariello, Brian G., TransGuide Update—After Model Deploy- ment. http://www.transguide.dot.state.tx.us/docs/transguide_ update.html