This Crash Responders Safety Week (CRSW)

The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Bureau of EMS & Trauma System Reminds Roadway Users:

“RESPONDERS AHEAD! REDUCE YOUR SPEED AS YOU PROCEED”

Every minute of every day, firefighters, emergency medical services, law enforcement, towing and recovery, public works, safety service patrol, and other traffic incident responders work tirelessly to clear roadway crashes, debris, and stalled vehicles. These responders also bring life-saving care to injured roadway users. Tragically, hundreds of responders across our nation have been killed while assisting roadway users in need, and many more sustaining life-altering injuries because a driver did not slow down or move over when approaching the incident scene.

This November 18-22, 2024, the ADHS/Bureau of EMS & Trauma System stands in solidarity with our first responders and with Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, who has issued a proclamation designating this week as Crash Responder Safety Week (CRSW). In observance of Crash Responder Safety Week, all roadway users are reminded that reducing your speed as you proceed past responders working roadside, you dramatically reduce the risk of death in the event of a secondary crash.

Nationally, from 2017 – July 7, 2024, a total of 279 first responders were fatally struck-by while working traffic incidents, this includes 111 Law Enforcement, 44 Fire/EMS, 102 Towing & Recovery, 11 Transportation/Service Patrol, and 11 Mobile Mechanic professionals.

From 2017 – July 7, 2024, a total of 10 Arizona first responders were fatally struck-by while working traffic incidents, this includes 7 Law Enforcement, 2 Towing & Recovery, and 1 Mobile Mechanic professionals.

This CRSW, the ADHS Bureau of EMS & Trauma System calls on every road user to:

“Reduce your speed as you proceed” along a traffic incident and if feasible, move over a lane, providing a protective buffer between you and responders working roadside.
Learn about Arizona’s Slow Down, Move Over Law.
Show your support for our traffic incident responders on social media using #CRSW.

This Crash Responder Safety Week, the ADHS Bureau of EMS & Trauma System also calls on every traffic incident responder to:

Take the free, four-hour National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training available from the Federal Highway Administration to better protect you and your fellow responders.
Encourage your fellow responders to join the over 730,000 responders, nationally, that have already completed this training.
Share on social media the dangers you face when responding to traffic incidents using #CRSW.

The ADHS Bureau of EMS & Trauma System offers gratitude to our nation’s traffic incident responders who put themselves in harm’s way to keep all road users safe. And we remind every roadway user, Responders Ahead! Reduce Your Speed as You Proceed.

About the Author: Rachel Garcia

Rachel Garcia, MPH, MCHES is the Deputy Assistant Director of Preparedness, Chief of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and Trauma, and Principal Investigator for the CDC Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Program at the Arizona Department of Health Services. Rachel is an Arizona native and humble public servant who has served in various public health leadership roles in state and local government for more than 15 years. In her current role, she is responsible for overseeing several programs including the ADHS Bureau of EMS and Trauma System, which coordinates, establishes, and administers Arizona’s statewide system of emergency medical services, trauma care, and registry systems. She previously served as the Deputy Chief of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response and has assisted with multiple Health Emergency Operations Center responses at ADHS. Before joining the ADHS team, she was an Assistant Director of Public Health in Pinal county, where she oversaw Community and Correctional Health programs. She also served in multiple public health research and community outreach positions at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she earned her Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Science degrees and completed Susan G. Komen and National Science Foundation fellowships. Rachel is a proud wife and mother of three, who is passionate about education and data-driven public health policies that can improve health for the next generations of Arizonans.