The last thing anyone wants is a second accident either piled up on the first one or nearby, especially one that injures or kills a first responder.

To help prevent that, a group of about 40 first responders from the area attended a National Traffic Incident Management training program Saturday at Mid-Iowa Towing in Fort Dodge.

Iowa State Patrol Trooper Jesse Davenport has seen it happen and had a few close calls.

He was out on patrol on U.S. Highway 20 with a minor accident when another motorist rear-ended a car — on the other side of the road.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Pomeroy firefighter Ben Thoma listens Saturday during a National Traffic Incident Management training program at Mid-Iowa Towing in Fort Dodge. The day-long session covered various aspects of keeping accident and other incident scenes safe.

“It was a gawker accident,” he said.

He’s also heard something that nobody really wants to hear while they’re in a patrol car. “We hear the rumble strips on the edge of the road,” he said. “It’s a scary sound.”

Davenport and other troopers are frequently the first ones on an accident scene. One of his first duties is to try to secure things and make sure everyone is as safe as they can be on the scene.

“The big thing is communication with other first responders,” he said. “Let them know what needs to be done and help minimize the risk of injuries on the way.”

The course covered many ways that first responders, be they firefighters, police, EMTs or tow truck operators, can use their vehicles, signage and markers to alert motorists that they’re going to need to slow down, follow directions to get around the area where the scene is being worked and just generally use common sense and caution.

“Be patient at the scene,” Davenport said. “Pay attention to things, slow down and don’t be on your phone.”

Dylan Hagen, Webster County Emergency Management director, said the seminar was open to any first responder in Webster County and the surrounding areas. The event was funded by the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau and was free to those who attended. Cargill and HyVee provided food donations.

“This is all about safety on the roadway,” Hagen said. “It gives them safety information on how to park their vehicles, direct traffic and give motorists early warning.”

The number one goal?

“We don’t want a second scene.” Hagen said.