Clearing the Scene of a Road Crash

Clearing the Scene of a Road Crash Once a road crash has occurred, many different services arrive on the scene with a wide variety of activities taking place.

The first hour after an accident is called the Golden Hour – physicians say seriously injured car crash victims need to reach comprehensive medical care within 60 minutes to ensure a good chance of survival.

At the accident scene, this scenario leaves little time for rescuers to extricate the wounded and speed them toward the hospital.

It is of the utmost importance that these services can work effectively not only on saving lives, but also prevent secondary crashes and further injury.

Who has to take charge and what is the correct protocol on the scene of the road crash?

We approached SANRAL to gain some insights about Road Incident Management and the processes required from the moment of crash response to ultimately clearing the scene of a crash.

What is Road Incident Management (RIMS)?

Incident Management is the:

Co-ordinated and
Pre-planned use of human, mechanical and electronic resources
To manage incidents and to restore traffic to normal operating conditions

The Role-players in Road Incident Management (RIMS)

The Centralised Communication Centre (CCC)
The Emergency Services
The Specialist Services
Non-specialist but essential services
The affected parties

Incident Management - the Chain of Events

Incident detection - Establishing location
Mobilisation and response of services
Situation analysis
Scene management
Clearance
Follow-up

Roles and Responsibilities of Role-players

Police:

Secures/cordon-off incident scene
Control access to the incident scene
Control crowd - to maintain public order
Assist with traffic control
Mobilization of tow operators, when needed
Mobilization of pathology services, when needed
Incident investigation
Completion of the AR form

Traffic control

Secure scene
Advance warnings
Road/lane closures
Alternative routes
Bystander Management
Cordon-off scene
Access control
Coordinating of towing services through the coordinator
Declare road safe and open
Inform CCC

Fire Brigade / Firefighters

Firefighting/Fire prevention
Search & rescue
Hazardous material
Ensure safety on the scene
Advise Management Team of risks
Remove patients from the source of exposure
Coordinate specialist teams
Tremcard/material safety Data Sheet
Prohibit smoking on scene
Prevent pollution
Warn public / Coordinate evacuations

Emergency Medical Services

Prioritise & treat patients
Notify hospitals
Assist SAPS with declaring fatalities
Casualty Management (Triage)
Red (immediate, highest priority)
Yellow (delayed)
Green (minor)
Blue (diseased)

Forensic Pathology Services

Specialized investigation (ie. cause of death/incident), on-scene and postmortem.
Assist SAPS in making a case
Removal of deceased

SANRAL

Normalise, restore and safeguard any dangerous area

Emergency trailer with material and equipment for the use of services

Flagmen
Lights and Generator
Radios
Absorbent
Accident ahead signs
Spades, Grinder etc.

The Centralised Communication Centre (CCC)

Who is the CCC?

Each system in the province elects its own CCC.

What is the Role of the CCC?

Gather accurate and vital relevant information from the caller to pass on to responding services
Assess the information and dispatch appropriate services
Refer to the Incident Management Guideline Plan
Notifies back-up/secondary services
Prompts the Coordinator about arrival and departure times, progress on the scene
Time the incident stood down
Keeps record of the incident.

Guidance to Role-players when Responding to the Scene of a Road Crash

When notified - depart immediately to the scene
Always drive responsibly - to drive fast does not mean drive reckless
Activate your vehicle's lights and siren
When approach scene - slow down
OBSERVE - look for dangerous goods labels / other suspect goods etc

Arriving on the Scene of a Road Crash

Park your vehicle in a safe manner to warn oncoming motorists of the danger
At night - do not point vehicle headlights to oncoming traffic
Secure the scene - barricade scene
Control the traffic
Make contact with CCC and provide a METHANE/SITREP report
Institute RIMS protocols (JICP, SMT etc.)
Identify all vehicles and persons involved
Gather info on injured persons first - if possible

Scene Management and On-Scene Coordination

Why do we have On-Scene Coordination?

To ensure that activities on the scene are coordinated and no duplicate request occurs from the scene.

What does On-Scene Coordination Involve?

Step 1: Setting up of a Forward Control Point (FCP)

Step 2: Establishing a Management Team

Step 3: Electing a Coordinator

Setting up of a Joint Incident Command Post (JICP) / Forward Control Point (FCP)

What is a joint incident command post?

Reporting location
Meeting place for the Management Team
Identify where to report when arriving on the scene
Information dissemination

How is a joint incident command post set up?

First-person on the scene: Cone/chequered flag on the vehicle
Establish direct communication with CCC
Park vehicle outside immediate operational area - in a safe place
Establish at every incident where more than one emergency service is present.

Scene Management: The Management Team

What is the Management Team?

The first person from each service to arrive at the incident scene will serve as the communication representative for his department
Maintain throughout the incident

Why is a Management Team Set Up?

To develop a plan of action for the incident
To coordinate decisions and actions on the scene
To encourage services to work as a team and make joint decisions

The Coordinator

Who is the coordinator?

The Coordinator of an incident will be the person elected by the management team

What does the coordinator do?

Responsible for communication to the CCC
Ensures that the CCC is updated on the progress of the incident
Co-ordinates decisions made by Management Team

Road Crash Scene Clearance

Debris clean-up
Removal of stationary vehicles
Liaise with owner/driver
- Operator on scene
- Operator contracted to owner
- Private operator
Responsibility of RRM emergency standby team and SAPS to coordinate
Important
- If a driver is incapacitated SAPS/Traffic to make decision
- Traffic has the right to overrule driver’s wishes if (= Regulation 320):
Hazardous situation
Obstruction
Stationary vehicle procedures

Follow-up and Post Incident Assessment (PIA)

What is a Post Incident Assessment?

Multi-disciplinary facilitated meeting regarding the management of the particular incident
Discuss any difficulties in a positive and constructive environment
A neutral facilitator will co-ordinate Post Incident Assessment (PIA)

When should a Post Incident Assessment take place?

Regular multi-disciplinary Post Incident Assessments (PIA’s) will take place timeously after incidents.
These should be held within a reasonable period from the time of the incident
“Lessons learnt” will be circulated to all services involved in the system.

Who can call for a Post Incident Assessment?

The Incident Coordinator or any other service
The Project Team or the CCC can be contacted directly

When should a Post Incident Assessment be Held?

After any of the Following Incidents

An incident involving hazardous chemicals
An incident involving road closure or use of an alternative route
An incident involving two or more emergency services
An incident where the Coordinator / any other service feels the incident was not handled correctly
An incident where the Coordinator / any other service feels the incident was well handled

Dangerous Goods Incidents