Road Incident Management Co-ordinator

The purpose of this qualification is to prepare a learner to operate as a Road Incident Management Co-ordinator. A Road Incident Management Co-ordinator co-ordinates the implementation of integrated transport or other related road incidents management plans, assesses and analyses incidents and establishes and co-ordinates incident management teams. A qualified learner will be able to: • Access and analyse road incidents and develop incident management plans. • Establish, resource and co-ordinate joint incident management teams.

There is a need in South Africa for a comprehensive approach to crisis planning and a framework for national, local and private agencies to effectively and collaboratively manage road incidents and accidents by using a core set of concepts, principles, procedures, processes, terminology and standards through the establishment of an Incident Command System (ICS) as a standardised approach to the command, control, and coordination of all-hazard emergency responses. The South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) is mandated by the National Transport Policy (1997) to implement incident management programmes on the entire national road network of South Africa. SANRAL confirmed the need for the development of a qualification for Road Incident Management Co-ordinators as an integral part of the overall Road Incident Management System (RIMS) Strategy (in accordance with ISO 39001 Road Traffic Safety Management Systems) for the country. Road incident scenes are very dangerous places to work. Too many responders are injured or killed every year at road incident scenes. Training of Road Incident Management Co-ordinators is essential to ensure a common integrated and co-ordinated approach to road incident management processes. Such incident management processes will contribute to the efficient and effective responses and reduce the risk of secondary incidents. Road incidents impact on the safety of everybody using the road. Very often a primary incident, if not cleared and resolved quickly, also results in a secondary incident which directly and indirectly affects society. Furthermore, prolonged delays in resolving road related incidents also directly impacts on the economy as it affects delivery times of goods being transported as well as productivity in general of those being prevented to arrive at destinations on time. This qualification will therefore benefit the sector, society, and the economy alike by providing qualified learners with the knowledge and skills to effectively respond to road and related incidents. Typical learners to be attracted to this qualification include school leavers or any other person with an interest in community services, coordination of activities and working outdoors. Learners will benefit from this qualification as successful completion will provide learners with access to employment opportunities in the transport sector (especially SANRAL) as well as other sectors involved in the broader area of disaster management (such as the National Defence Force and municipal services) as the knowledge and skills gained will enable learners to coordinate other emergency incidents such as fire and rescue. The skills and knowledge will also enable the qualified learner to coordinate events other than emergencies, thereby increasing job opportunities within the community and contributing to the full development of the learner. Professional registration is not a requirement. This qualification was not developed as part of a specific career pathway, but learners wishing to further their career in this field of study and with an increased focus on law, would be able to do so by enrolling for an Occupational Certificate: Road Traffic Safety Officer.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): • Learners will gain access to the qualification through RPL for Access as provided for in the RPL Policy of the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations. RPL for access is conducted by accredited education institution, skills development provider or workplace accredited to offer that specific qualification/part-qualification. • Learners who have acquired competencies of the modules of a qualification or part-qualification will be credited for modules through RPL. RPL for access to the external integrated summative assessment: Accredited providers and approved workplaces must apply the internal assessment criteria specified in the related curriculum document to establish and confirm prior learning. Accredited providers and workplaces must confirm prior learning by issuing a statement of result. Entry Requirements: Any NQF Level 4 qualification.

• Evaluate an incident and secure the area, applying standard methods and techniques in the context of the district, provincial and national environment.
• Establish a joint incident management team and coordinate the implementation processes and responsible use of resources applying standard methods and processes.