GOOD MORNING OR GOOD AFTERNOON. WELCOME TO THE TALKING OPERATIONS WEB CONFERENCE MAKING THE CASE FOR TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT. I WILL GIVE A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE WEB CONFERENCING ENVIRONMENT BEFORE TURNING THIS OVER TO JERRY WESTERNER WHO WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO HAVE AS A MODERATOR. PLEADS BE ADVISED THAT TODAY'S SEMINAR IS BEING RECORDED. I'D LIKE TO NOW GO OVER A FEW LOGISTICAL DETAILS. TODAY'S SEMINAR WILL LAST APPROXIMATELY 90 MINUTES WITH 60 MINUTES ALLOCATED TO THE SPEAKERS AND THE FINAL 30 MINUTES FOR QUESTION AND ANSWER. THE OPERATOR WILL GIVE YOU INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO ASK A QUESTION OVER THE PHONE DURING THE Q & A PERIOD. HOWEVER, IF DURING THE PRESENTATION YOU THINK OF A QUESTION, YOU CAN TYPE IT INTO THE SMALLER TEXT BOX UNDERNEATH THE CHAT AREA ON THE LOWER RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR SCREEN. INDICATE CLEAR QUESTION -- WHO YOUR QUESTION IS DIRECTED TOWARDS, UNLESS YOUR QUESTION IS INTENDED FOR ALL SPEAKERS. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE TYPING IN THE TEXT BOX AND NOT THE LARGE WHITE AREA. PLEASE ALSO MAKE SURE THAT YOU SEND YOUR QUESTION TO ALL PARTICIPANTS RATHER THAN JUST THE HOST OR THE SPEAKER. PRESENTERS WILL BE UNABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS DURING THEIR PRESENTATIONS, BUT JERRY WILL USE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS TYPED INTO THE CHAT BOX TO START OFF THE QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION IN THE LAST 30 MINUTES OF THE SEMINAR. IF AT ANY TIME YOU WOULD LIKE TO ZOOM IN ON THE SLIDE THAT IS SHOWING ON YOUR SCREEN, YOU CAN CLICK ON THE ZOOM ICON AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN. IT LOOKS LIKE A MAGNIFYING GLASS WITH A PLUS SIGN KNIT. FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT THIS SESSION IS BEING RECORDED. A FILE CONTAINING THE AUDIO AND VISUAL PORTION OF THIS SEMINAR WILL BE POSTED TO THE TALKING OPERATIONS WEBSITE WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK. TO ACCESS THE RECORDED SEMINAR, PLEASE VISIT TALKINGOPERATIONS.WEBEX.COM AND CLICK ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PAGE AND THEN CHOOSE THE SESSION YOU'D LIKE TO VIEW. DUE TO THE SIZE OF THE FILE, RECORDED FILES ARE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING LISTENING PURPOSES ONLY AND CANNOT BE SAVED TO YOUR OWN COMPUTER. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DIRECT OTHERS IN YOUR OFFICE WHO MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND THIS CONFERENCE TO ACCESS THE RECORDING. THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION DURING THE RECORDING WILL BE AVAILABLE SHORTLY. ATTENDEES WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE AVAILABILITY OF THE POWERPOINT, THE RECORDING AND THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE SEMINAR. BEFORE TURNING THE PRESENTATION OVER TO JER EERKS I'D LIKE TO READ A LITTLE ABOUT JERRY. JERRY WARNER, THE MODERATOR, ALSO SERVES AS EDITOR OF THE ICPN NEWS LETTER AND WEB MASSER OF THE WEBSITE. SINCE 1998 HE SERVED AS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF THE PREDECESSOR WEBSITE, ITS COOPERATIVE DEPLOYMENT NETWORK FOR ICBS. IN THAT ROLE HE CHRONICLED KEY STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENTS IN THE INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM AND TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS BRIEF AND INTERVIEWED NUMEROUS LEADERS, VISIONARIES, POLICY MAKERS AS WELL AS PRACTITIONERS. PRIOR TO STARTING, HE EARLIER FOUNDED AND SERVED AS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR FOR THE POPULAR ITS ONLINE WEBSITE. IN THE EARLY TO MID-1990s, MR. WERNER, A GRADUATE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE CONSULTED IN THE ITS FIELD FOR SUCH ORGANIZATIONS AS ITS AMERICA AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA'S ITS INSTITUTE. NOW I'LL TURN THINGS OVER TO JERRY WHO WILL INTRODUCE OUR FIRST SPEAKER. THANKS VERY MUCH, JOCELYN. WE HAVE FOUR TERRIFIC PRESENTATIONS TODAY SO LET'S GET RIGHT TO THEM. AGAIN, THE TITLE OF OUR WEBCAST TODAY IS MAKING THE CASE FOR TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT, A WASHINGTON STATE CASE STUDY. OUR FIRST PRESENTER IS ACTUALLY NOT FROM WASHINGTON STATE BUT HE'S GOING TO SET THE STAGE FOR THE PRESENTATIONS THAT FOLLOW. IT'S MIKE ZEZESKI FROM THE MARYLAND STATE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION. HIS TALK IS ENTITLED OVERVIEW OF TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT. MIKE ZEZESKI IS THE DIRECTOR OF -- FOR THE OFFICE OF CHART WHICH STANDS FOR COORDINATED HIGHWAYS ACTION RESPONSE TEAM AND ITS DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE MARYLAND STATE HIGHWAY ASSOCIATION OR SHA. IN HIS POSITION AS DIRECTOR, MIKE DIRECTS AND OVERSEES ALL OF SHA'S ITS PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE CHART STATEWIDE OPERATIONS PROGRAM. PRIOR TO ASSUMING HIS POSITION AS DIRECTOR OF CHART AND ITS DEVELOPMENT, MIKE SERVED AS CHIEF OF THE TRAFFIC DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT DIVISION WITHIN THE OFFICE OF TRAFFIC AND SAFETY. HE HAS OVER 27 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, TRAFFIC OPERATIONS AND ITS. MIKE IS A GRADUATE OF PENN STATE UNIVERSITY AND HOLDS A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING. HE SERVES ON MANY STATE AND NATIONAL COMMITTEES INVOLVING ITS, TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS AND TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT. MIKE IS A GRADUATE OF MARYLAND SHA'S ADVANCED LEADERSHIP PROGRAM. OKAY, MIKE, YOU CAN BEGIN WHEN YOU'RE READY. THANK YOU, JERRY. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. I'D LIKE TO START OFF BY HIGHLIGHTING A FEW FACTS WHY I THINK TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT IS IMPORTANT POST FROM A CONGESTION RELIEF PERSPECTIVE AND A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE. ACCORDING TO THE 2003 URBAN MOBILITY REPORT, TRAFFIC INCIDENTS WERE ESTIMATED TO CAUSE BETWEEN 53 TO 58% OF THE TOTAL LAY EXPERIENCE BY MOTORISTS IN URBAN AREAS. IF YOU JUST SIMPLY LOOK AT THE BLOCKAGE ALONG ONE FREEWAY TRAVEL LANE YOU WILL SEE THAT IT REDUCES THE AVAILABLE CAPACITY OF A TWO-LANE FREEWAY BY 65%. AND A THREE-LANE FREEWAY BY 51%. IF YOU LOOK AT TRAFFIC INVESTMENTS TO IMPROVE MOBILITY, INVESTMENTS IN TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCED MUCH GREATER BENEFIT WHEN COMPARED TO INVESTMENTS TO INCREASE ROADWAY CAPACITY. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT FIVE BILLION HOURS OF DELAY OCCURS ALONG OUR NATION'S HIGHWAYS EACH YEAR. BY LOOKING CLOSELY AT THIS PIE CHART, YOU WILL SEE THAT 25% OF IT IS CAUSED BY TRAFFIC INCIDENTS, SUCH AS MAJOR ACCIDENTS, FENDER-BENDERS, DISABLED VEHICLES, DEBRIS IN THE ROADWAY, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. YOU CAN ALSO SEE FROM THIS CHART THAT ANOTHER 15% IS CAUSED BY WEATHER, ANOTHER 10% BY ROADWAY MAINTENANCE CONSTRUCTION WORK, ANOTHER 5% BY SPORTING AND OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS, ALL OF WHICH STRONG TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS CAN HELP REDUCE THE IMPACT THESE EVENTS WILL HAVE ON CONGESTION, DELAY AND SAFETY. OKAY, WHY TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE? WE HAVE FOUND THAT CRASHES THAT RESULT FROM OTHER INCIDENTS WHICH WE NORMALLY REFER TO AS SECONDARY INCIDENTS WILL MAKE UP AROUND 14 TO 18% OF ALL CRASHES. WHAT WAS FOUND WHICH IS SHOCKING IS THAT THESE SECONDARY CRASHES ARE ESTIMATED TO CAUSE 18% OF THE DEATHS ON OUR FREEWAYS. RESPONDING TO TRAFFIC INCIDENTS ON ROADWAYS IS INHERENTLY DANGEROUS BY ITS VERY NATURE. IN 2002, APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE POLICE AND FIREFIGHTER FATALITIES OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF TRANSPORTATION INCIDENTS. SUCCESSFUL TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS WOULD MAKE SAFETY ITS NO. 1 PRIORITY FOR THE MOTORISTS AND INCIDENT RESPONDERS. EFFECTIVE TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT IS FOUND TO IMPROVE -- MINIMIZE SECONDARY INCIDENCE. -- INCIDENTS. NOW, I'D LIKE TO MENTION SOME WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE THAT DOCUMENTS THE PERFORMANCE OF TRAFFIC INCIDENT EMPTY. AGAIN, ACCORDING TO THE URBAN MOBILITY REPORT BITE TEXAS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE IN 2002, INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF CONGESTION IN URBAN AREAS BY 117 BILLION HOURS. THEY ALSO FOUND THE ANNUAL COST SAVINGS RESULTING FROM TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN 75 URBAN AREAS WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $2.3 BILLION. IN MARYLAND, WE HAVE BEEN MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR CHART PROGRAM SINCE 1997. IN OUR MOST RECENT 2003 REPORT, WE FOUND THAT CHART'S TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REDUCED DELAY ALONG MARYLAND ROADWAYS BY 26.8 MILLION VEHICLE HOURS. THAT RESULTED IN USER COST SAVINGS OF OVER $526 MILLION. IT ALSO MEANT THAT THE BENEFIT COST RATIO OF OUR PROGRAM WAS WELL OVER WENT TO 1. WE FEEL THAT'S ONE -- 20 TO 1. WE FEEL THAT'S ONE HECK OF A RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT. EVER SINCE WE BEGAN ANALYZING THE BENEFITS OF CHART, WHICH STARTED BACK IN 1997, OUR PROGRAM HAS REDUCED DELAY ON OUR ROADWAYS BY AN AVERAGE OF 22 MILLION VEHICLE HOURS A YEAR FOR A TOTAL OF MORE THAN 130 MILLION VEHICLE HOURS OVER A SIX-YEAR PERIOD. WE ALSO FOUND THAT RESPONDING TO AND RECOVERING FROM INCIDENTS HAS SHORTENED FROM AN AVERAGE OF 44 MINUTES IN 1997 TO AN AVERAGE OF 29 MINUTES IN 2002. THIS REDUCTION DELAY TRANSLATES TO A USER COST SAVINGS OF $2 BILLION DURING THAT SAME PERIOD. WHEN WE GO BACK TO 1990 WHEN OUR PROGRAM FIRST BEGAN THE RESULT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT $3.3 BILLION IN USER SAVINGS. WITH ACCOMMODATION OF SHORT INCIDENT DURATION TIME, REDUCED DELAY, WE ALSO ESTIMATED THAT THE CHART PROGRAM REDUCED SECONDARY INCIDENTS BY 4,000 DURING THAT SAME PERIOD. SO WHAT ALL THIS SAID ABOUT THE DOCUMENTED BENEFITS OF THE TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT, YOU CAN SEE WHY IT'S IMPORTANT AND WHAT IT MEANS FROM A MOBILITY AND SAFETY PERSPECTIVE AS WELL AS WHAT IT MEANS TO THE ROAD USER. NOW I'D LIKE TO TELL YOU ABOUT A NEW ORGANIZATION CALLED THE TRAFFIC NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND MANAGEMENT COALITION. I'M FORTUNATE TO SERVE ON AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS. THEY ALSO SPONSOR THE COALITION. THE CONCEPT OF THE ORGANIZATION WAS CONCEIVED AT THE 2002 NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT WHICH WAS HELD IN IRVINE, CALIFORNIA. IT'S BASICALLY AN ORGANIZATION OR ORGANIZATIONS TO SIMPLY PROVIDE CINERGY BETWEEN ALL TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE COALITION IS CURRENTLY CHAIRED BY JOHN CORBIN OF WISCONSIN. RIGHT NOW THE MAIN FOCUS HAS BEEN TO FINALIZE OUR BY LAWS, DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN, WORK ON COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AND MANY OTHER THINGS. YOU CAN GET A LOT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COALITION BY GOING TO OUR WEBSITE. IT'S TIMCOALITION.ORG. THE MAIN PURPOSE OF IT IS TO BRING TOGETHER STAKE HOLDERS NATIONALLY TO IMPROVE TASK INCIDENT MANAGEMENT. LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THE COALITION IS A PARTNERSHIP OF ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTING VARIOUS DISCIPLINES, LIKE TRANSPORTATION, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIRE PROTECTION, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, STATE REGIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND TOWING AND RECOVERY AND TRUCKING. ITS MISSION IS TO WORK TOWARDS A SAFER, MORE EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT OF INCIDENTS. THE GOALS ARE TO PROMOTE AND SUPPORT TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS, DEVELOP AND RECOMMEND BEST PRACTICES, GUIDES, STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND DEVELOP AND RECOMMEND RESEARCH PROGRAMS, PROBLEM STATEMENTS TO FURTHER TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS. AGAIN, YOU CAN GET THIS INFORMATION BY SIMPLY GOING TO THE WEBSITE TIMCOALITION.ORG. NOW, LAST THING I'D LIKE TO COVER IS A DOCUMENT CALLED NINE KEYS TO SUCCESS FOR TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT. YOU PROBABLY CAN'T READ THIS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. YOU CAN GET IT BY GOING TO THE COALITION WEBSITE UNDER THE DOCUMENTS AND PRODUCTS SECTION. THE NINE KEYS TO SUCCESS ARE BROKEN INTO THREE CATEGORIES. PROGRAMS AND INSTITUTIONS, OPERATION AND COMMUNICATIONS, OPERATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, THREE CATEGORIES. I WANT TO GO THROUGH THESE CATEGORIES AND KEYS WITH YOU VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE IT HIGHLIGHTS THE AREAS ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD FOCUS ON INVOLVING TRAFFIC INCIDENT EMPTY PROGRAMS. I ALSO THINK IT WILL HELP SET THE STAGE FOR THE REST OF TODAY AS YOU HEAR THE OTHER PRESENTERS AS THEY TALK ABOUT THEIR PROGRAMS THAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING. THE PROGRAMS AND INSTITUTIONS CATEGORY IS WHAT I WOULD CALL THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF INCIDENT MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS AND HOW OPERATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY ISSUES WOULD BE ADDRESSED AND ORGANIZED INTO TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS AND RESOURCE FRAMEWORK. IT INVOLVES THE AGENCY'S WORKING TOGETHER TO DEVELOP PLANS, IDENTIFY BUDGET AND PERSONAL -- PERSONNEL NEEDS, DEVELOPING AGREEMENTS ON OPERATIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES AND POLICIES. IT INVOLVES MULTI AGENCY TEAM MEETINGS REGULARLY TO DISCUSS ISSUES AND CONDUCT POST INCIDENT DEBRIEFINGS. HOPEFULLY WILLFULL AGENCIES AGREEING ON MEASURES THAT WILL BE TRACKED FOR ANALYZING PROGRAM PERFORMANCE AND SETTING RESPONSE AND CLEARANCE TARGETS. THE OPERATIONS CATEGORY ADDRESSES THE PROCEDURES, THE PROCESSES, THE ROLES AND THE RELATIONSHIPS USED IN THE RESPONSE RECOVERY IN INCIDENTS AND EMERGENCIES. IT FOCUSES ON COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION AND THINGS LIKE SPECIFIC NEEDS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, EQUIPMENT STAGING, TRAFFIC DETOURS, INCLUDES TRAINING, INCIDENT KMANT, POLICIES FOR QUICK CLEARANCE, ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND HAZARD RESPONSE. IT'S EVERYTHING THAT ALLOWS THE AGENCIES TO QUICKLY IDENTIFY WHEN INCIDENTS OCCUR, ALLOWS FOR AWE QUICK RESPONSE AND FAST RECOVERY THAT WILL ULTIMATELY MEAN MORE LIVES SAVED AND LESS CONGESTION. THE LAST CATEGORY ADDRESSES THE COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY USED TO FACILITATE AND IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS. IT FOCUSES ON THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS LIKE VOICE, DATA AND VIDEO. IT ADDRESSES HOW THE DATA AND INFORMATION IS SHARED BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT AGENCY CENTERS AND THE APPLICATIONS THAT THEY USE. IT ALSO INVOLVES HOW AGENCIES CAN INTEGRATE AND INTERPRET THE INFORMATION FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES AND HOW THE PUBLIC AND MEDIA HAVE ACCESS TO THE REAL-TIME INCIDENT SPECIFIC INFORMATION. THE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE I'D LIKE TO GIVE YOU FROM MY EXPERIENCE IS, IS THAT YOU CAN NOT DO THE LAST CATEGORY EFFECTIVELY UNTIL YOU HAVE DONE A LOT OF STEPS IDENTIFIED IN THE FIRST TWO CAT GORY. THE OPERATIONAL NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS NEED TO DRIVE THE INTEGRATION AND TECHNOLOGY. OFTENTIMES I'VE SEEN, AND I'VE BEEN GUILTY OF THIS AS WELL, SYSTEMS ARE DEVELOPED FROM THE TOP DOWN. A LITTLE INPUT FROM THE ACTUAL OPERATORS AND RESPONDERS OUT THERE DOING IT DAY IN AND DAY OUT. THROUGH SOME KIND OF INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK LIKE WE DISCUSSED EARLIER AND FROM A CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS, THE OPERATORS NEED TO IDENTIFY THE ORGANIZATIONAL -- OPERATIONAL NEEDS AND FROM THERE YOU DEVELOP THE OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND THEN BUILD A SYSTEM THAT WILL BEST WORK FOR THEM. SO WITH THAT I HOPE I HELPED SET THE STAGE FOR THE REST OF TODAY'S DISCUSSION. HERE'S SOME INFORMATION IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME DIRECTLY. I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO TALK AND WORK WITH ANYONE OF YOU WHO IS PASSIONATE ABOUT TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT AS I AM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ENJOY THE REST OF THE SEMINAR. THANKS VERY MUCH, MIKE. AND THANKS PARTICULARLY FOR HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THOSE KEYS TO SUCCESS FOR TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS AS WELL AS THE PAYOFF FROM THOSE PROGRAMS. VERY IMPRESSIVE. AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS TO POST ANY QUESTIONS RELATED TO ANY OF THESE PRESENTATIONS IN THE CHAT AREA IN THE LOWER RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR SCREEN AND WE WILL GET TO THOSE QUESTIONS RIGHT AFTER OUR FINAL PRESENTATION. OUR NEXT PRESENTER IS BILL LEGG FROM THE WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND HIS TALK IS ENTITLED INCIDENT RESPONSE IN WASHINGTON STATE. BILL IS THE STATE ITS OPERATIONS ENGINEER FOR WASHINGTON WHERE HE'S WORKED FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS. IN HIS CURRENT ROLE, BILL'S RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE COORDINATING THE OPERATIONS OF THE STATE'S SEVEN TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT CENTERS, COORDINATING WASH DOT'S STATEWIDE INCIDENT RESPONSE PROGRAM, OVERSEEING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SECURITY EFFORTS AND MANAGING ITS PROJECTS OF STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE. BILL, YOU CAN BEGIN WHEN YOU'RE READY. THANK YOU. WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO TODAY IS JUST GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF HOW WE GOT STARTED HERE IN WASHINGTON STATE WITH INCIDENT RESPONSE, HOW THE PROGRAMS EVOLVED AND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE WE MIGHT BE HEADED. BACK IN THE LATE '80s, INCIDENT MANAGEMENT AND INCIDENT RESPONSE STARTED TO BECOME A TALKED ABOUT ISSUE ON THE NATIONAL SCALE, AND SO WE WANTED TO LOOK AT THAT TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOME POTENTIAL FOR BENEFITS HERE IN THE STATE. SO IN 1988 AND '89, WE HAD THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON DO A MAJOR STUDY OF CONGESTION AND THE INCIDENTS' RELATIONSHIP ON SOME OF THE MAJOR CORRIDORS IN THE SEATTLE AREA. IT WAS A LARGE STUDY, IT WAS FOUR VOLUMES. THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK DONE. BUT I THINK TWO OF THE KEY FINDINGS THERE WAS HERE IN THE STATE WE HAD 58% OF OUR CONGESTION WE IDENTIFIED AS INCIDENT-RELATED AND WE HAD DURING PEAK PERIODS $2700 OF COST RELATED TO EACH MINUTE OF CONGESTION AND THAT'S TO THE USERS OF THE SYSTEM. SO BASED ON THAT, IN 1990 THE SEATTLE AREA HOSTED THE GOODWILL GAMES WHICH WERE AT THAT TIME SORT OF -- THEY WERE AN INTERNATIONAL SPORTING EVENT SIMILAR TO THE OLYMPICS BUT NOT QUITE AS LARGE A SCALE. WE ANTICIPATED A LOT OF TRAFFIC GENERATED BY THOSE EVENTS, SO WE IMPLEMENTED A PILOT SERVICE PATROL PROGRAM. AGAIN, WE HAD THE UNIVERSITY EVALUATE THAT AFTER THE GAMES AND WHAT WE FOUND AGAIN, SOME OF THE KEY FINDINGS HERE THAT POINTS TO OUR EFFORTS IN IR WAS THAT WE HAD A DECREASED TIME TO IDENTIFY AND LOCATE THE INCIDENTS AND WE HAD A DECREASED TIME REQUIRED TO CLEAR MOST OF THE INCIDENTS. BASED ON THAT, WE ESTABLISHED OUR BEGINNING OF OUR INCIDENT RESPONSE PROGRAM IN 1990. AT THAT TIME IT INCLUDED ONE PERSON. WE CREATED AN INCIDENT RESPONSE ENGINEER POSITION AND BASICALLY THAT PERSON WAS TASKED IN LOOKING AT INCIDENTS' RESPONSE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF HOW WE COULD IMPROVE OUR DETECTION AND RESPONSE TO INCIDENTS, THE COMMUNICATIONS THAT WENT ON WITH RESPONDERS WHILE THEY WERE IN THE FIELD, THE INVESTIGATION TIMES TO GET AN INCIDENT LOOKED AT AND GET PARTICULARLY THE STATE PATROL'S INVOLVEMENT, PERHAPS EXPEDITED AND THE CLEANUP AND CLEARANCE TIME. SO IT WAS A LOT TO DO, BUT THAT WAS THEIR JOB AT THE TIME. SO THE INITIAL PROGRAM BEGINNING THEN, OUR INCIDENT RESPONSE ENGINEER AT THE TIME DECIDED THE PROJECT PROGRAM AND LOOKED AT MAJOR INCIDENTS. WE WOULD ONLY BE TARGETING THE BIG ONES, THE ONES THAT CAUSED SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS THAT WOULD BE ON THE MAJOR FREEWAYS, MAJOR -- MULTIPLE LANE BLOCKAGE OR DIRECTIONAL CLOSURE AND THOSE SORT OF THINGS. THE ONES THAT CAUSED A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM. I WOULD BE IN A RESPONSE MODE PROGRAM WHICH MEANS WE WOULD NOT REACT UNLESS SOMETHING HAPPENED AND WE WERE CALLED OUT BY THE STATE PATROL. THIS ONE PERSON WOULD BE OUT THERE AND THEIR JOB WOULD BE TO COORDINATE WITH OUR OTHER MAINTENANCE RESOURCES TO PROVIDE TRAFFIC CONTROL AND CLEAN UP AND TO WORK WITH THE STATE PATROL AND THE FIRE ON THE SCENE TO DEFINE THE ROLES ON WHAT WE WERE ALL DOING. AND THERE WAS AN OUTREACH TO THE PUBLIC EFFORTS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHY WE WERE OUT THERE AND WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. AND THE BENEFITS THAT WE REALLY WERE LOOKING TO GAIN FROM THIS PROGRAM WERE, I THINK, ALREADY TOUCHED ON IN THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION HERE. HEY, BILL, THIS IS JERRY. COULD YOU SPEAK A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE PHONE. SURE, I'M SORRY. THANKS VERY MUCH. IS THAT ANY BETTER. THAT'S BETTER, THANKS. ANYWAY, THE BENEFITS WE WERE STRIVING FOR WAS REDUCED TRAVEL DELAY, INCREASED PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN DOT. THESE WERE ALL THINGS I THINK WE DID REALIZE IN THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF THE PROGRAM. AND PARTICULARLY THE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE DOT. WE SOUGHT -- WE SAW A MARKED INCREASE IN THE PERCEPTION AMONG SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE OUT THERE TRYING TO HELP WITH THE CONGESTION PROBLEMS. SO OUR INITIAL RESULTS HERE WHEN WE HAD THIS PROGRAM INSTITUTED WAS INSTITUTIONALLY I THINK THEY WERE SIGNIFICANT. THERE WAS A HEIGHTENED AWARENESS OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INCIDENTS ON HIGHWAY PERFORMANCE. I THINK WE ALL AT THE DOT KNEW THAT, BUT IT WASN'T A MESSAGE THAT WAS HAVING A LOT OF INFLUENCE ON HOW WE DID BUSINESS. THE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF INCIDENT COSTS VERSUS MORE TRADITIONAL METHODS OF CAPACITY IMPROVEMENTS. AND THIS GETS BACK TO THAT BENEFIT COST RATIO. WE DID DO A BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS OF OUR IR PROGRAM AND IT DOES REFLECT WHAT HAS BEEN FOUND NATIONALLY WITH THE 20 TO 1 BENEFIT COST. AND THEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST BENEFITS I THINK WE FOUND FROM THIS PROGRAM WAS OUR BETTER COORDINATION AND COOPERATION THAT WE DEVELOPED WITH THE STATE PATROL WHEN WE WERE WORKING ON CLEARING THE ROADS OF INCIDENTS. SO BASED ON THAT, WE DECIDED TO EXPAND THE PROGRAM. AND WHAT WE LOOKED AT WAS THE REALIZATION THAT IF WE WERE GOING TO GROW THIS PROGRAM, WE NEEDED TO LOOK AT A LOT OF INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES SO IT WOULD BE PROPERLY MANAGED AND OPERATED. THOSE ARE LISTED THERE ON THE SLIDE. WE HAD TO DEFINE SOME RESPONSE CRITERIA, WHEN WE WOULD BE INVOLVED, THE LIABILITY ISSUE, WHAT COULD AND COULDN'T WE DO IN THE FIELD. EQUIPMENT NEEDS AND CONFIGURATION. RESPONSE PROCEDURES, RESPONDER TRAINING, VARIOUS ISSUES. AND THEN AGAIN THIS WHOLE ONGOING ISSUE WITH COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION WITH OTHER RESPONDERS. AND THESE ARE ISSUES THAT WE TACKLED EARLY AND OF COURSE IF YOU HAVE AN INCIDENT RESPONSE PROGRAM, THEY NEVER GO AWAY. THESE ARE ISSUES THAT WERE ALWAYS REINVESTIGATING, REVISITING AND TRYING TO SEE IF THINGS CAN BE CHANGED. SO HERE ON THIS SLIDE, THE PROGRAM GROWTH, YOU CAN GET KIND OF A QUICK CHRONOLOGY, VERY BASIC ON WHERE WE -- OUR PROGRAM HAS GONE. IN 1990 WE DID HAVE, AS I MENTIONED, ONE PERSON AND ONE VEHICLE IN A REACTIVE MODE. IN THE SEATTLE URBAN AREA. BY '97 WE HAD MOVED TO A 25-VEHICLE FLEET. WE HAD 12 VEHICLES ON CALL. THOSE WOULD BE IN THE REACTIVE MODE. AND THEN WE WENT TO A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE PROGRAM, WHICH WAS TO HAVE A ROVING PATROL. SO HALF THE FLEET WENT TO A PROACTIVE MODE. THESE COVERED ALL THE MAJOR URBAN AREAS IN THE STATE AND SOME RURAL COVERAGE. TODAY WE HAVE 44 VEHICLES. AGAIN, A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN OPERATIONS. NEARLY THE ENTIRE FLEET IS PROACTIVE. IT COVERS ALL THE STATE HIGHWAYS IN THE STATE. AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH THAT, THE WASHINGTON STATE PATROL WORKS WITH US. THEY HAVE A STATE PATROL MOTOR ASSISTANCE PROGRAM WITH THEIR CADETS AND WE DO HAVE SOME CONTRACT TOW TRUCKS THAT PROVIDE ROVING PATROLS ON SOME SEGMENTS OF OUR ROADS. SO SOME PERFORMANCE, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THIS I ALL ABOUT.