Arizona Pilot Program Helps Cities in Crises

When first responders are trying to deal with a crisis that affects roadways, they don’t always have time to control the flow of traffic. A new pilot project in Arizona aims to change that, creating a team to provide traffic control so first responders can respond properly.

In an article in the Arizona Republic, Lily Leung says the Maricopa County Department of Transportation started a program called REACT, or the Regional Emergency Action Coordinating Team, to help combat this issue.

Leung says REACT focuses on traffic control at all roadway incidents so public safety officials can deal with the emergency. The program has formed partnerships with five Arizona cities, including Surprise, Peoria, Glendale, Tolleson and Avondale.

“Surprise, the first and only city in the Valley to have its own satellite REACT, just wrapped up its pilot program this year and it was deemed a successful model by MCDOT,” Leung writes. In 2007 alone, the city’s team responded to 250 calls and assisted MCDOT with 100.

“The idea was to provide incident management in arterials besides the freeways,” Faisal Saleem, the REACT program manager, told Leung. “As the program got established, the city of Surprise saw great value in the service that REACT provides, and sure, we’ll use it as a model (for other cities).”

To read the full article, click here: http://www.azcentral.com/community/surprise/articles/0131gl-nwvreact0201.html