TIM Team Toolkit

Tools for TIM Teams

A circular diagram illustrating the TIM Team Maturity Cycle, which outlines the stages of development for Traffic Incident Management Teams. The cycle includes phases such as Formation, where agencies establish partnerships; Development, focusing on training and interagency collaboration; Growth, emphasizing improved coordination and data-driven decision-making; and Sustainment, ensuring long-term success through ongoing training, policy integration, and performance monitoring. Arrows connect each stage, representing the continuous improvement process necessary for an effective TIM program.

TIM Team Maturity Cycle from TIM Team Workbook page 1 to 20

Develop and Improve Your TIM Team's Effectiveness!

Traffic Incident Management (TIM) is a planned and coordinated program to detect and remove incidents and restore traffic capacity as safely and quickly as possible. TIM is not accomplished by a single agency; it is a collaborative effort between all agencies involved not only in incident response but also the transportation industry.

In order to establish a “planned and coordinated program”, a TIM Team is needed. A TIM Team is a group of first responders that comes together to share TIM best practices and improve multidisciplinary incident mitigation.

Use the information and templates below to help establish, improve and grow the maturity of your local TIM Team.

TIM Team Workbook - Information to help TIM Teams throughout Colorado develop a more mature program.

TIM Team Workbook Introduction - TIM Team Purpose & Organization, and workbook overview
TIM Team Workbook: Section 1 - TIM Team Formation and Documents
TIM Team Workbook: Section 2 - Increase Effectiveness of TIM Teams through TIM Training Opportunities
TIM Team Workbook: Section 3 - Increase Effectiveness of TIM Team through Planning & Documentation
TIM Team Workbook: Section 4 - Effective TIM Team Leadership
TIM Team Workbook Video - “The Many Hats of Highway Incident Management” video is a satirical representation of how various responders may see and respond to an incident
TIM Team Workbook: Section 5 - Other Helpful Resources & Documents

TIM Team Goals - What areas can TIM Teams work together to improve?

Collaborate to collect data
Develop memoranda of understanding (MOU)
Possible TIM Program funding
Execute mutually beneficial trainings
Determine the direction of TIM practices
Update or develop TIM Plan documents
Share resources

TIM Team Partners - What agencies and partners should be a part of an effective TIM Team?

Each TIM Team has leadership representatives from a variety of public and private agencies. They aim to create a well-rounded, multi-disciplinary team that understands and continually joins forces to advance and implement TIM practices in an area or corridor. Your TIM Team should consider having representatives from the following agencies as part of your group:

CSP; Local Law Enforcement; Regional Law Enforcement
Fire and Rescue; Emergency Medical Services; Emergency Medical Examiners; Coroners
CDOT; Local Public Works Agencies; Local Road and Bridge Agencies
Traffic Operations Centers; Dispatch & Communication Professionals
Towing & Recovery; Safety Service Patrols
Hazardous Materials Experts
Federal & State Agency Partners; Volunteer Organizations (e.g. Red Cross)

This is only a partial list. Click to view and download a fillable Core Membership Tool .

TIM Team Kickoff Meetings - Information and tips to successfully conduct your first TIM Team meeting.

TIM Team kickoff meetings can vary according to area. In many cases it is strongly recommended that combining a TIM Team kickoff meeting with a Federal Highway Administration SHRP2 training session can help to produce the best results.

At the kickoff meeting, TIM Team members should decide how often they should meet. At a minimum, each group should meet on a quarterly basis.

Use the following tips to make your first TIM Team meeting successful:

Meeting organizers must consult with TIM Team leadership and their TIM champion(s) to present (or recruit a partner to present) the “multi-disciplinary approach to TIM” section.
During the “Updates” portion of the meeting, pass around the SPMT POC List to make sure individuals’ information is up to date.
During “Agency Updates,” individuals should provide any updates regarding their agencies—regardless of whether those updates are TIM related.
Not all topics under “TIM Tools” are applicable to all TIM Team areas. Areas might already have a TIMP and, therefore, the topic may be presented as an overview of the current plan.
Training(s) discussions may be abbreviated if the meeting is combined with a SHRP2 training session. Adjust meeting topics as necessary.
Subcommittee reports will vary by area. Subcommittees are responsible for various tasks.
If an After Action Review (AAR) needs to take place with a routine TIM Team meeting, merge the “TIM Team Meeting Agenda” with the “After Action Review Agenda.”

TIM Team Kickoff Meeting Tools & Templates - Download documents for your kickoff meeting.

Click on the links to view and download example documents and presentations to make your kickoff meeting a success.

Kickoff Meeting Agenda (Blank) - Agenda to fill in with your meeting information (Word document).
Kickoff Meeting Agenda (Annotated) - Agenda with suggested talking points (Word document).
Kickoff Meeting Presentation (Example) - PowerPoint presentation to modify for your kickoff meeting.
Fillable Point of Contact List - Excel spreadsheet to update with TIM Team representatives contact information.

TIM Team Regular Meeting Tools & Templates - Download products to facilitate regular meetings.

The following templates can be used to support your regular TIM Team meetings. These can be modified to address special topics that may come up from time to time.

TIM Team Subcommittees - Small group of TIM Team members that focus on advancing a particular TIM topic.

TIM Team leaders may decide to create subcommittees as the team grows and identifies specific goals that require expertise for development by the TIM Team. The subcommittees should be ready to provide a report of progress at every meeting. In some cases the subcommittees work may be temporary until a particular task or project is completed.

Some of the subcommittees and roles they have responsibility for include:

Communication Subcommittee

Develop and maintain contact list for closures
Develop communication reference cards for communication centers
Develop communication-specific training modules

Training Subcommittee

Develop training specific to the corridor or area to focus TIM priorities identified by the TIM Team group.
Provide tools and recommended tactics for field use (e.g. Manage the queue, Mark It and Move It, Push Bumper use, etc.).

Technology Subcommittee

Focuses on tools specific to individual agencies that can benefit the greater group.
Shares an understanding of process and procedure.
Resource/clearinghouse for other technology ideas (website, VMS literacy, ReadyOps, WebEOC, etc.)

After Action Review (AAR) - Information and templates to conduct a successful AAR.

An AAR identifies successes and lessons learned to improve future incidents and actionable items for the TIM Team group. AARs are recommended to take place every quarter and/or after a distinct traffic incident. They may also be combined with TIM Team meetings.

Use the templates to help facilitate your AAR meeting:

Before the meeting:

Gather as much detailed information regarding the incident as possible (e.g., police reports; social media reports; pictures; individual agency After Action Reports).
Use this background information to outline the event for all attendees to the AAR—even if they were not at the scene.
Work with incident participant agencies to protect sensitive information.
The meeting organizer should take excellent minutes of the discussion. These will help in the creation of the AAR Meeting Summary and/or the official After Action Report.