LONG PINE, Neb.- First responders are trained to run toward danger when a crash happens, but that responsibility can put their own lives at risk. According to the Federal Highway Administration, about one in five crashes is a secondary crash, meaning it happens because of an earlier accident. 

That reality is what brought state and local officials together in Brown County this week for a traffic incident management training near Long Pine, aimed at making crash scenes safer for both responders and drivers.

“Seventy-four percent of traffic crash fatalities occur in rural areas,” said Bobbi Brooks, the Traffic Incident Management coordinator with the Nebraska Department of Transportation. “Sometimes that’s because we don’t have paid departments, so it takes longer for first responders, or we don’t have the personnel as far as sheriff’s office, deputies and post-crash care.”

Brooks travels across the state helping agencies refine how they respond to crashes, with a focus on keeping scenes safe while patients are treated.

“It used to be a lot of load-and-go,” Brooks said. “Now we’re finding people have a longer expectancy if they’re stabilized before they’re removed from the scene. But the longer first responders are on the road, the more chance there is of a secondary crash.”

During the Long Pine training, officials reviewed the response to a recent semi crash on a nearby bridge that has seen multiple serious accidents.

Brown and Rock County Deputy Emergency Management Director Jessica Pozehl said the training gives agencies a chance to evaluate their response without finger-pointing.

“They’re here to help us see what we did right and what we can improve,” Pozehl said. “It’s always good to have a second set of eyes.”

While the training itself was not open to the public, officials stressed that drivers also play a role in preventing secondary crashes.

“Our first responders can do a lot of things right — lights, warning signs, directing traffic,” Brooks said. “But it just takes a moment for someone to look at their phone or get distracted. That’s usually when secondary crashes occur.”

Pozehl said the training could have life-saving impacts.

“It could definitely save some lives,” she said.