incident response unit

At ADOT, safety is always top of mind. Our crews respond to all sorts of incidents on the highway — from wildfires to crashes and more — and it’s important for them to be prepared and refresh their skills so they can help clear the highway and get traffic moving again as quickly and safely as possible.  

Usually, my day job as a public information officer focused on safety at ADOT involves sitting behind a computer screen, typing up blogs or news releases and other duties that keep me confined to my desk.

But, part of my job also involves getting to know how ADOT’s Incident Response Unit, sponsored by GEICO, patrols Phoenix-area freeways and helps clear obstructions and incidents in the roadways and get traffic moving as quickly and safely as possible.

Derik Woitaszewski says he’s been characterized as someone who “is able to get along and help animals as needed.”

So, it comes as no surprise that when ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center (TOC) received a call on the morning of May 11 about a kitten wandering along the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway near Vee Quiva Way, Woitaszewski, a member of ADOT’s Incident Response Unit, sponsored by GEICO, sprung to action.

It’s Crash Responder Safety Week and, here at ADOT, we’re spotlighting a team that responds to incidents and help improve safety by getting traffic moving sooner after crashes and other incidents occur.

We are, of course, referring to our Incident Response Unit, a 15-member team that performs many duties, from setting up traffic control at crashes to removing debris from travel lanes to helping stranded motorists. 

Beat the heat by being prepared, staying hydrated.

Read about how ADOT and DPS helped a motorist get safely home. 

PHOENIX –  In the past two years since the Arizona Department of Transportation started the Incident Response Unit sponsored by State Farm, pickup of litter and dangerous roadway debris has been far faster and more efficient than before.

Jasmine Arollo is stepping into a new role with the Incident Response Unit, but its just the latest in a long line of ways her family has served at ADOT.

PHOENIX – It’s only been a year since its inception, but ADOT’s Incident Response Unit sponsored by State Farm has proved its worth in helping decrease crashes, aid drivers and improve traffic flow on Valley freeways.

Since hitting the road in October 2019, the 14-member unit, part of ADOT’s Traffic Systems Management and Operations Division, has responded to more than 10,400 crashes, disabled vehicles, debris or other incidents in the Phoenix metro area.

“6 Tom 16”

In following the tradition of the fire service and law enforcement, ADOT issued a final radio call for fallen Incident Response Unit member Frank Dorizio Tuesday following his memorial service in Tempe. That was Frank’s call sign as he patrolled Valley freeways, removing debris, helping troopers at crashes and assisting stranded motorists. You can hear the final call yourself in the sound file below.

I know you have heard the jingle “Like a good neighbor, State Farm® is there.”  That can now be said for the Arizona Department of Transportation Incident Response Unit, or IRU, sponsored by State Farm®. Let me explain.

This is the story of a lucky cat rescued from danger.

Let’s call it: Highway Hawk saves highway cat.

On Monday, the young feline was clinging to a drainage grate on the shoulder of US 60 near Mill Avenue in Tempe. Her prospects looked pretty bleak.

Enter ADOT's Raymond Shaban, a member of the new Incident Response Unit sponsored by State Farm.