Emergency Responder Struck-By Events: Scope, Cause, Impact, and Need for Action
This webinar will highlight key findings from the report on emergency responder struck-by incidents, focusing on the ongoing risks faced by firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMS personnel, tow operators, and roadway workers. The discussion will explore the causes and impacts of these incidents, gaps in prevention and data collection, and strategies and technologies that can improve roadside safety.
Featuring survivors of struck-by incidents, the webinar will also bring firsthand perspectives on the human impact of these events and the importance of strengthening protections for responders working along the roadway. The conversation will connect research, lived experience, and practical recommendations to support safer emergency response operations.
More resources are available in NDDC’s Roadway Responder Safety, Training, Data, and Public Education Resource appendix.
Webinar will be hosted on November 5, 2026 at 2PM ET.
Webinar Speakers
Jack Sullivan
Director of Training, Emergency Responder Safety Institute
Jack Sullivan is a subject matter expert in roadway incident operations and emergency responder safety, promoting proactive strategies to protect emergency workers from being struck by vehicles. He served 23 years as a volunteer firefighter, emergency medical provider, and chief officer and retired in 2018 after a 40-year career as a safety and risk management consultant for public- and private-sector organizations. Jack teaches Roadway Incident Safety & Survival Workshops for the Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI) and is a Master Instructor for the FHWA Traffic Incident Management Train-the-Trainer program. He serves as ERSI’s Director of Training and led development of the Responder Safety Learning Network, which provides free online training in roadway incident safety and traffic incident management. Jack is a member of the IAFC Safety, Health, and Survival Section, FDSOA, and ISFSI. His contributions have been recognized with the 2018 FDSOA Dave Dodson Lifetime Service Award and ISFSI Excellence in Instruction Award. In 2021, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Virginia State Traffic Incident Management Committee and was named the ASSP Colonial Virginia Chapter and Region VI Safety Professional of the Year. Jack served on the Virginia OEMS Health and Safety Committee from 2012–2023 and is a Principal Member of the NFPA Technical Committee for NFPA 1091, Standard for Traffic Incident Management Professional Qualifications.
Bob Bemis
Sergeant (Ret.), Pennsylvania State Police Academy
Sergeant (Ret.) Robert Bemis retired in 2017 as a Supervisor in the Operational Training Division at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in Hershey. With more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, he spent over a decade as a trainer specializing in officer safety, self-defense, and civil disorder tactics. His assignments included Patrol Trooper, Patrol Supervisor, and Forensic Services Unit investigator, where he investigated major crime and accident scenes with an emphasis on evidence collection and fingerprint analysis. In 2015, Sgt. Bemis was severely injured while assisting a disabled motorist on an interstate highway. After months of hospitalization and rehabilitation, he returned to the Academy and continued teaching until his retirement. He chronicled his recovery in his book, Forged in Scars & Stripes: A Trooper’s Victory Over Critical Injury, and shares his survival story with audiences nationwide through live presentations and podcasts. Since retiring, Sgt. Bemis has continued supporting law enforcement training and raising awareness of roadway hazards facing emergency responders. In 2017, he helped develop an immersive virtual reality training simulator for law enforcement. He is also a volunteer Peer Advocate and Director of Training for The Wounded Blue, a national organization supporting injured and disabled officers. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Sgt. Bemis served on active duty from 1986–1992 as a Military Policeman, including security assignments with the helicopter squadron responsible for transporting the President (“Marine One”) and at the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon.
NDDC Steering Committee Press Contacts
Nick Chabarria
Automobile Club Of Missouri
JOE YOUNG
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety