Severe Incident Response Vehicle
The Severe Incident Response Vehicle (SIRV) Team Program started in 2005 as a one year pilot project in Broward County by Florida
Department of Transportation (FDOT) District IV.
This program was designed to assist in the mitigation of delays caused by severe traffic incidents and to increase the safety of
emergency responders. It was recognized there was a need for an FDOT presence on the scene of a severe incident or Level 3 incident,
which includes multiple lane closures that last longer than two hours, any full highway closure and fatal crashes.
The primary objective of the SIRV program is to assist all responding agencies in safely reopening the roadway as quickly as possible
to meet the 90 minute goal of the State of Florida's "Open Roads" Policy.
SIRV Brochure
Responsibilities
The Severe Incident Response Vehicle Team is dispatched to major incidents on I-75, I-95, and I-595 in Broward County 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week. SIRV responds to any lane blocking incident dispatched by the SMART SunGuide Transportation Management Center
(TMC). Staffing includes 2 full-time and 2 part-time Traffic Incident Management Specialists.
The vehicle will serve as an incident command post with the SIRV staff responsible for coordination and communication between
incident responders, the TMC and FDOT. In addition, the vehicles are outfitted with traffic management equipment such as cones,
signs, spill absorbent, roadway repair supplies and flares to be used for the Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) to ensure the safety
of everyone on scene.
When not in the field, SIRV staff coordinates with responding agencies to conduct Post Incident Analysis (PIA). PIA's are a
review of major incidents that are conducted with all responding agencies specific to that incident. A PIA's purpose is to learn
what went well and see what could have been done better. SIRV Operators also prepare incident reports on all incidents they
respond to. The SIRV staff performs Quality of Service audits and vehicle inspections for the Road Ranger Service Patrol Program.
SIRV participates in the Broward County and Palm Beach County Traffic Incident Management (TIM) meetings every month.
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Vehicle Specifications
The three vehicles used are Ford F450 dual wheel diesel engine trucks with 4 wheel drive. They have 11 foot long covered utility
bodies with red strobe and LED light systems and sirens to facilitate emergency response. Each truck has two telescoping
high-intensity floodlights on the front and 6 fixed mounted scene work lights on the remaining three sides. The trucks are also
equipped with computer docking stations in the front seat area so the staff can use a laptop computer during incident command.
One truck has a self-contained radio repeater system with extra portable radios that may be given to each responding agency's
commander, thereby, providing a common channel for communication among incident responders.
Each SIRV truck carries specialized equiptment including:
- Roof Mounted Arrow Board for MOT
- Spill Pads & Containment Pools
- Over 300 Standard Flares
- Roadway Repair Supplies
- Emergency Scene Signs
- High Intensity Lighting
- Brooms & Shovels
- 100 Traffic Cones
- Electronic Flares
- Spill Absorbent
- Bottled Water
- Extra Fuel
SIRV Team
SIRV Operators are highly trained in the following:
- Incident Command Procedures
- National Incident Management System (NIMS)
- Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) Mitigation
- Advanced Maintenance of Traffic (MOT)
- Incident Quick Clearance Procedures
- Emergency Vehicle Operations
- First Responder
- Incident Documentation
Reports
Click here to see all of the SIRV reports.
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