Colorado Department of Transportation (CDoT) in the US has opened the first traffic incident management (TIM) training centre in the state.

Opened in partnership with Douglas County and the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), the facility is the second of its kind in the US and will be used to provide hands-on training to first responders in a realistic and full-scale setting.

Most training will be conducted online or in a classroom replicating a concrete interstate and other highway segments to equip first responders with all the necessary skills and training they need to acquire to safely clear incidents from the roadway.

CDoT executive director Michael Lewis said: “Partnering with Douglas County and the state patrol is another excellent example of how we can pool our respective resources to improve highway safety.

“As our roadways continue to get more crowded, it’s imperative that our first responders have the best level of training available.

“As our roadways continue to get more crowded, it’s imperative that our first responders have the best level of training available.”

“These various partnerships allowed us to build this training centre, helping us to meet the traffic challenges of today and tomorrow.”

The facility was developed with an investment of $1.5m and will allow first responders to practice tactics such as pushing, up-righting and towing vehicles without damaging the pavement.

Furthermore, it will enable them to practice various tactics and strategies to improve safety and reduce their exposure to traffic hazards while responding to various incidents, including crashes.

Douglas County Commissioner Roger Partridge said: “On behalf of the board of Douglas County Commissioners, it is our great honour to play a role in the birth of this new TIM training facility, in support of first responders who willingly put themselves in harm’s way to protect and serve others.”

The first full-scale TIM facility in the US was built at Nashville in 2014.