Start Planning Now for Crash Responder Safety Week

June 28, 2022

Firefighters, EMS providers, and other emergency responders face many hazards at the scene of roadway incidents. Crash Responder Safety Week (CRSW) aims to raise awareness among emergency personnel of the importance of traffic incident management training and among the public of doing their part to keep responders safe on roadway incident scenes. While CRSW takes place in November, there are planning webinars and trainings responders can participate in now to get ready.

The National Operations Center of Excellence is hosting several webinars leading up to CRSW, which takes place November 14-18. These webinars focus on different aspects of the week so agencies can best leverage the event:

  • All States Webinar, July 13 – This webinar focuses on how to leverage mass media outreach channels, such as television, radio, talk shows, and print news, for broader CRSW public awareness.
  • All States Webinar, September 14 – This webinar features resources you can utilize to advance driver education for Slow Down Move Over law adherence as well as to mitigate distracted driving during CRSW and throughout the year.
  • National Kickoff for CRSW 2022 – This webinar will kick off the 2022 event with messages from U.S. Department of Transportation and national association executive leadership, responder struck by testimonials, the signing of a national proclamation, and a call to action for the campaign.

In addition, you can prepare your crew to best respond to roadway incidents now through this free training:

  • Traffic Incident Management – The Responder Safety Learning Network offers dozens of free online courses on topics related to TIM and safe roadway response, including a 10-course program that results in a National TIM Training Certificate.
  • Electric Vehicle Response – The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has released a new free course on Electric Vehicle Safety: An Awareness Level Training to equip responders with the knowledge and tools to respond safely when a hybrid or electric vehicle is involved in an incident.
  • Lithium-Ion Batteries – The NVFC is hosting a webinar on August 4 at 2pm ET on the prevalence of lithium-ion batteries including vehicle applications, implications for emergency responders, and tactics for safe and effective response to incidents involving these batteries.