The Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI) has just launched a new nationwide platform that collects detailed information directly from first responders about incidents on the roadway where responders or their equipment were struck by a vehicle while operating at a scene.
By improving first responder reporting, this new tool will help ERSI track and analyze struck-by incident data, gain a better understanding of exactly how and why these incidents are happening, and help prevent future incidents.
The new incident reporting tool at ReportStruckBy.com:
- Accepts reports from all roadway responders, including fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, fire police and special traffic units, safety service and freeway service patrols, departments of transportation, public works, and towing and recovery.
- Allows any first responder involved in a struck-by incident to report the incident from any device, whether in the field or at the station.
- Accepts all reports on struck-by incidents of any type, including incidents resulting in death, injury or property damage.
- Takes approximately 3-4 minutes to complete. All fields are optional so you can report as much as you know and skip what you don’t.
ERSI encourages first responders to access the tool and report details any time they are part of a struck-by incident.
The Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy PDF reports that transportation incidents are the second most common cause of death among both police officers and firefighters, and the leading cause of death among tow truck operators. Additionally, up to 20% of vehicle crashes are estimated to be secondary in nature, meaning they occur as the result of an earlier incident. These statistics show that when responders operate at a crash scene or deliver post-crash care on or near a roadway, their risk of being struck by passing vehicles in a secondary incident is alarmingly high.
