The Texas Transportation Commission recently approved a new program that could help provide additional funding for roadway Safety Service Patrols, known in some parts of Texas as “HEROs” or Highway Emergency Response Operators.
[Above photo by TxDOT]
Safety Service Patrols – which are currently funded entirely by local Texas Department of Transportation districts – provide aid to motorists, including changing a tire and filling up fuel tanks, as well as helping protect and clear crash scenes in cooperation with first responders.
That includes towing vehicles to safer locations off of highways or frontage roads, as well as supporting first responders by blocking crash scenes and redirecting traffic away from the scene.
The new funding initiative — entitled the “Acknowledgement Program” — allows companies or organizations outside TxDOT to donate to the agency’s Safety Service Patrols.
In exchange, donors can be acknowledged for their donations by having their name, logo, or image placed on the back of a Safety Service Patrol truck.
The donations will help offset some program costs as HERO offers its services without cost to motorists, which could result in program expansion, TxDOT said. The agency noted that, in Texas, Safety Service Patrol responders are contracted workers.
For some TxDOT districts that don’t currently have a Safety Service Patrol, donations could potentially garner enough funds to create a program for them, the agency added.
Mandi Hernandez, manager of the San Antonio HERO program, noted in a statement that the safety patrol program is “invaluable” in the communities it serves.
“We often embrace the mantra that each day brings the unexpected,” Hernandez said. “Whether it’s handling a major incident or assisting with something as routine as a tire change or fuel delivery, our commitment to serving the community remains steadfast.”
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