Highway Emergency Response Operators

The Highway Emergency Response Operators program is a freeway service patrol operated in metro Atlanta, USA by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). It is a part of GDOT's Office of Traffic Operations. Both the program and the individual vehicles are typically referred to by the acronym HERO. The program began in Atlanta prior to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and has since been expanded in association with GDOT's Georgia Navigator Intelligent Transportation System program.

HERO's primary purpose is to minimize traffic congestion by clearing damaged or disabled vehicles from the roadway lanes or hard shoulder and providing traffic control at any incident. HERO thus places somewhat less emphasis on assisting stranded motorists than other freeway service patrols, such as West Virginia's Courtesy Patrol. In addition to their normal duties in metro Atlanta, HEROs have been deployed in the past to assist with traffic control at the The Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia and along Interstates 75 and 16 during hurricane evacuations.

HERO truck operators are GDOT employees, distinguishing the program from freeway service patrols in other states, such as California, which are operated under contract by private tow truck companies. The HERO day is split into four shifts - Alpha (morning), Beta (afternoon), Charlie (weekend) and Delta (overnight). The program operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Typically, HEROs work between 55,000 and 60,000 incidents per year.

The HERO UNIT travels on the interstates and assists with highway emergencies. They can change a flat tire, charge a battery, bring gas, etc. The service is free.

The telephone number for the HERO unit in Metro Atlanta is [phone], or *368 on a mobile phone.

Goals

* To minimize major disruption of freeway traffic flow at incident locations.
* To focus on the factors that cause disruption in the flow of traffic and remove those factors.
* To relieve congestion and maintain the consistent flow of traffic at incident locations
* To reduce response time to traffic-related incidents

Duties

* Patrol the Atlanta-area freeways, Monday through Friday, from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
* Patrol same freeways on Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm
* Be on call to respond to incidents outside of the above hours.
* Initiate measures to reduce traffic congestion and delays
* Provide support to law enforcement, first-response and other emergency agencies
* Assist in clearing stalled vehicles from the travel lanes
* Help stranded motorists with minor mechanical problems including:
** Change flat tires
** Jump start weak batteries
** Provide fuel, coolant, etc.
** Provide road and travel information
** Provide transportation to safer areas
** Provide courtesy use of a telephone

Future expansion plans

As part of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue's Fast Forward Congestion Relief program, the HERO program is being expanded. At the end of 2005, there were 48 HERO drivers; plans call for 86 by the end of 2008. This expansion will add several new routes to the HERO coverage area. There are no current plans to expand the HERO program to any other metropolitan areas in Georgia.

External links

* [http://www.dot.state.ga.us/dot/operations/trafficops/HERO/index.shtml HERO Website]
* [http://www.georgia-navigator.com Georgia Navigator website]