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. 

Recently, we went on a ridealong with IRU supervisor, Cody Smith, who has been patrolling the highways since the program's inception in 2019.

“It’s been a journey. I love it here. It’s a fun job,” Smith said while responding to a call.

Response calls can range from helping stranded motorists, to clearing debris from highway travel lanes and assisting law enforcement and first responders with serious traffic incidents.

“We are here to help you,” Smith said. “If you see us out-and-about on the roadways working an incident, remember that we are working as quickly and effectively as possible. We always want people to get home safely, that’s the ADOT way.”

In October, ADOT’s IRU team celebrated three years of operation. That’s 37-months and counting of providing valuable services from west of Wickenburg to Apache Lake and north of New River to south of Gila Bend. For those of us crunching numbers, that’s 9,224 square miles.

"IRU has had a positive effect on Valley traffic that might not be obvious to the general motoring public,” said Neil Barker, a dispatch supervisor at ADOT’s Traffic Operation Center, a 24-hour hub that monitors traffic conditions statewide.

So remember, if you see IRU trucks or any vehicle with flashing lights on the side of the road, move over one lane – or slow down if moving over isn’t possible – and give them a safe place to do their work. It is beneficial for all of Arizona. 

It's clean. It's cold. Now, that's what we call high-quality H20.

OK, we may be dating ourselves with that reference from "The Waterboy" movie, but it seems appropriate to use on National Hydration Day. 

Every day, hundreds of ADOT employee work outside in the heat, including members of the Incident Response Unit, sponsored by State Farm.

“It is extremely important to stay properly hydrated here in the desert,” IRU supervisor Abe Asermely said. “I drink about one bottle of water every hour. I tell my guys to do the same.”

IRU crews do many things to keep traffic moving safely on highways, including providing traffic control and assistance at incident scenes; removing debris from the roadway; and pushing or pulling inoperable vehicles from travel lanes. Because they spend entire shifts outside, water is an essential part of the IRU’s toolkit. 

“It is not only important to stay hydrated, it is also critical that people replenish with electrolytes,” Asermely said. “I tell my guys they should have their coolers full of water at all times. They are working outdoors for eight hours or more. Water is essential. Water is a must.”

For all the non-IRU crews out there, which is most of us, water is still necessary to take with you when you hit the road, especially when temperatures reach triple-digits. So, before you head out, don’t take on the heat without the right tools and be sure to stay hydrated. 

For Lisa Spresney and her young daughter, what started as a fun evening at a Moon Valley swim meet soon descended into a nightmare drive home when her tire blew out on Interstate 10 near University Drive.

Fortunately for Lisa, the nightmare ended quickly with the arrival of an ADOT Incident Response Unit member and two Department of Public Safety (DPS) highway troopers. They not only came to her rescue, they also stayed with her until she could safely finish her drive. 

“I’m so very, very grateful for the help of these individuals, who definitely went above and beyond what they needed to do,” Spresney said.

Spresney, herself a public servant as Facilities Project Manager for Maricopa County, was so grateful that she posted photos of her ordeal on Facebook along with a message of thanks.

It had been a pleasant evening for Spresney and her daughter, Rachel, as they headed home at about 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15. They had taken State Route 51 southbound to the I-10 eastbound toward the East Valley.

As they rounded the Broadway Curve, Spresney heard a very loud sound.

“It sounded like a jackhammer,” she said.

As she drove, the noise got worse and the tire pressure light went on.

“It wasn’t until all these other lights came on that I kind of panicked,” she said.

Just before University Drive, she pulled over as far right as she could, but her vehicle was still half in the right lane.  

“I was scared because I realized how precarious our situation was,” she said.

She dialed her husband and said, ”call Triple A for me!”

He responded, “you really need to call 911.”

As she was dialing, an ADOT Incident Response Unit (IRU) truck pulled up behind her car and two DPS highway patrol vehicles pulled in front of her.

This alone made her feel safe and thankful, but the two troopers and ADOT IRU employee did much more.

They encouraged her to pull her car off the highway. So, off they went, a procession with Spresney and three vehicles escorted her off the highway to a nearby gas station parking lot.

“They pulled out their tools, and put the spare tire on. It was deflated,” Spresney said. “But the air machine at the gas station was broken.”

The photo on Spresney's Facebook post shows the undeflated spare tire, while the one on the right shows the condition of the tire that blew out. 

The state workers soon found a man on dinner break who happened to have an air machine in his truck.

“Another random stranger helped me,” she said.  

Even with her spare tire properly installed and inflated, the troopers and IRU member waited until Spresney’s husband arrived.

“They made sure my husband got there and I was handed off before we left,” she said. “I was so shaken, and they helped me so much.”

Launched in 2019 and sponsored by State Farm, Incident Response Unit members rapidly respond to incidents ranging from serious crashes to stranded motorists, working to keep highways and lanes open and get motorists, like Spresney, safely home. 

"This is another example of how our state agenices work in a collaborative effort to the best of their abilities to ensure the safety of our community," said David Blue, IRU program manager, referring to ADOT and DPS.

For another heart-warming story about how an IRU member saved a kitten, click here. 

For a blog about how motorists "love" the IRU, click here. 

Jasmine Arollo was part of the ADOT family long before she was hired as a dispatcher.

For all 27 years of her life, Arollo heard her parents talk about how much they love working for ADOT. Her mother and father actually met at the agency, and one of her grandfathers and an uncle also retired from the department.

So it was only natural that in 2019, Arollo followed the family tradition and accepted a job with ADOT in the bustling Traffic Operations Center.

“My entire life I knew about ADOT,” said Arollo.  “I knew it was a good job.”

Still her life took a several twists and turns before she would follow in the family tradition.

We're in the army now

Arollo attended Horizon Elementary School and Apollo High School in Glendale, then Scottsdale Community College, Phoenix College and Dixie State University in Utah.

At age 3 she started playing soccer, and, before long, she was a formidable player who competed at various levels until she was 22.

“I played every position, midfield, defense to forward (striker),” she said.

She played semi-pro during the summer after college, but when she didn’t make the roster after trying out for a professional team, she turned her attention overseas. One of her brothers served in the U.S. Army, and his stories intrigued her.  

“I talked to a recruiter with the U.S. Army about the military police,” she said.

She signed up, and six months later she was deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by way of Kuwait.

“It was an experience I really wanted to happen so I could see what it was like over there,” Arollo said.  

The culture fascinated her. Like Saudi Arabian women, Arollo had to be covered from toes to hair when she went off base. The deployment reinforced her appreciation of her life in America.

While in Kuwait, she met her partner, Nicholas Whittington from Florida. After the couple returned stateside in 2019, Arollo gave birth to Malakai Whittington, purchased and set up a home with Nicholas, and followed the family’s footsteps by landing a job with ADOT.

It’s a family affair

Her mother, Marta Raiford, could not be any prouder of her daughter’s independence, work ethic and motherhood.

“I was proud of her serving our country and doing her time overseas in Saudi Arabia and earning awards while there,” Raiford said. “Now I am proud of the mother she has become and earning a position at ADOT … so that she can give the best possible life to her family.”

According to her mother, Arroyo likes to set goals and meet them.

“I know she will continue to tackle her goals and make a great career with ADOT.”

Raiford also harbors a love for ADOT. She liked it so much she rejoined the agency after retiring at age 49. She spent most of her 34 years in the Infrastructure Delivery and Operations (IDO) division under the Roadway Group, and now is a Transportation Construction Technician in the Contracts & Specifications Group.

Raiford also met her husband, Abe Arollo, at ADOT. He too is returnee. After working for the public and private sectors, he returned as a Roadway Designer in the IDO Roadway Engineering Group.  

Arollo’s yen for adventure recently prompted her to apply for and get a new position with ADOT’s Incident Response Unit (IRU) sponsored by State Farm.

As a dispatcher in the Traffic Operations Center, Arollo worked to alert motorists of potential dangers, mobilize ADOT personnel and state troopers and inform the public through the overhead message boards and the Arizona Traveler Information website.

Looking at traffic camera feeds, Arollo watched IRU members in action controlling traffic, moving vehicles off highways, helping motorists and filling potholes.

“I wanted to be active and out and the road helping people," she said. “I enjoy being on the scene, and I don’t mind picking up debris.”

“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.

Frank was killed March 4 while helping to set up traffic control on the shoulder of Interstate 10 to assist crews filling potholes. A driver, hoping to avoid a collision with the vehicle in front of him, is reported to have swerved into the shoulder, hitting Frank. His death was the first since 1998 involving a vehicle hitting an ADOT worker.

“6 Tom 16”

It’s an ever-present danger for the men and women of ADOT who work in and around traffic. From high-speed highways to low-volume roadways, traffic poses a significant hazard for ADOT staff, whether they are setting up traffic control like Frank or at the helm of a snowplow or driving a striping truck. Traffic – and inattentive drivers – pose risks to us all.

At ADOT, our True North – our ultimate objective for everyone – is “Safely Home.” It guides how we act, the decisions we make, the choices we select. Frank didn’t make it “safely home” last week. Yet, this isn’t the last you’ll hear about the IRU’s Frank Dorizio. When we talk about roadway safety, work zone safety and loss of life on Arizona’s highways, we will remind you of Frank, both his contributions to the people of Arizona and his sacrifice.

This, however, is not just about Frank: 162 of your friends, family members and neighbors have died on Arizona highways from Jan. 1 to March 8. No, this is about all of us.

“6 Tom 16 you have completed your final call. Thank you for your service. Rest in peace.”

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.

ADOT operated the Arizona Local Emergency Response Team or ALERT. Our ALERT team was made up of maintenance employees who, on top of their normal duties, were on-call around the clock to respond to emergency incidents on our roadways.  Our ALERT team saw their demand increase, especially in the metro Phoenix area, that we needed to develop a program solely committed to improving incident scene safety and traveler mobility.

Late last fall, we launched the Incident Response Unit for the Metro Phoenix area, a 14-member team dedicated to reducing crashes and congestion on our freeways. So far, they have responded to nearly 4,000 incidents. The IRU team provides traffic control and assistance at crash scenes, and also prevents crashes by removing debris in our roadways. They can push or pull stalled vehicles out of travel lanes; that keeps traffic moving and helps keep drivers safe. The IRU team has come to the aid of stranded motorists, much to their relief and appreciation based on the feedback we have received.

Through the sponsorship from State Farm®, our IRU crews are now more visible and recognizable to drivers on the road. We have new vehicle markings and new highway signs due to the sponsorship. State Farm® has sponsored similar safety service patrols in 20 other states.

Safety is our number No. 1 goal at ADOT. We are counting on our ADOT IRU sponsored by State Farm® to help decrease incident clearance times, reduce the number of fatal crashes on our roads, and bring down the number of secondary crashes. It’s our True North – Safely Home!

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. 

Shaban, who once was the man behind the costume as ADOT’s Highway Hawk mascot, spotted a gray-and-white patch along the road.

“When I got there, the cat wasn’t moving,” Shaban said. “But when I went over and touched her, she moved. She was really scared. She was holding on to the grate. I picked her up and comforted her.”

Thus, the Highway Hawk saved a highway cat. The highway cat has a new name, albeit temporary: Millie, named after the road she was found near.

Millie rode on the dashboard of Shaban’s truck like a car ornament. Shaban said she was very loving and sweet. She meowed at him as he drove to the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control shelter in Mesa.

At the shelter, she was examined by veterinary professionals.

“She was very friendly,” said Irene Rodriguez, operation support specialist. “She allowed everyone to pick her up and hold her.”

She is a domestic shorthair and is not feral, Rodriguez said. Feral cats are terrified of humans.

“She must have had a family at some point,” she said.

Next up is treatment for a minor wound and eye inflammation, followed by spaying.

In another lucky stroke, it looks like Millie has already landed a home with an ADOT employee who works in the Traffic Operations Center.

But there are between 500 to 700 other animals available for adoption at the West Valley and East Valley animal control centers. There are even a few gray and white kittens who look a lot like Millie.