Highway Emergency Response Operators

The Highway Emergency Response Operators (HERO) program is a type of freeway service patrol in United States.

The Taskforce members include the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), GDOT, traffic reporters, emergency and first-response agencies and the private sector.

In addition to their normal patrol duties in metro Atlanta, HERO is deployed to assist with traffic control at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia and along Interstates 16, 75, and 95 during hurricane evacuations.

The HERO day is split into four shifts: Alpha (morning), Bravo (afternoon), Charlie (weekend) and Delta (overnight).

The HERO units also oversee the TRIP program which now requires an accident to be cleared enough to have traffic significantly improved in 90 minutes from the time that the towing company arrives on scene and is given notice to proceed.

Towing companies in the TRIP program must meet a minimum set of standards and pass inspections by GDOT.

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.

[7] Operating since 2000[8], it's mission is to "is to provide free highway assistance services during incidents to reduce delay and improve safety for the motoring public and responders".

Inside the trucks, there are enough supplies to handle incidents from accidents, spills, and debris to the tools to get motorists back on the road.

[13] Moses King was killed in August 2015 when he was struck by an impaired driver that crashed into him on Atlanta's I-75/I-85 while providing traffic control for an earlier accident scene.