Living in the Line of Duty

The third article in a six-article series published in FHWA's Public Roads magazine (July/August 2014 issue) addresses the risk to TIM responders and how they may mitigate line of duty deaths and injuries. The following is noted in the introduction to the article: "Each year, an estimated average of 5 firefighters, 12 law enforcement officers, and more than 60 employees of State departments of transportation (DOTs) lose their lives in the line of duty. Deaths of firefighters and other public safety responders, along with an unknown number of injuries and near-miss incidents, occur on all types of roadways, making safety an essential mission for all public highway officials."

This article was co-authored by Dennis L. Rubin, a fire chief who represented the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association as FHWA’s on-site fire technical expert from November 2013 to March 2014, and Kimberly C. Vásconez. Ms. Vásconez is FHWA's Traffic Incident & Events Management Team Leader.