Every second counts in post‑crash care. That’s why the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), in collaboration with the Washington Chapter of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, developed the Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC) program.
The program strengthens rural emergency response by training teams in the timely, organized, and coordinated initial assessment and stabilization of crash victims—prioritizing counties with the highest fatal crash rates and transport times to trauma centers that exceed one hour.
WTSC has also established a network of stakeholders across its eight EMS and trauma regions. Through data sharing and collaboration with Target Zero managers, regional partners have formed a four-county motor vehicle crash injury prevention workgroup.
The network has integrated Stop the Bleed training into various traffic safety initiatives to empower rural bystanders to assist victims before professional help arrives.
Further advancing this commitment, WTSC facilitated EMS and trauma representation on the State’s Speed Management Advisory Cooperative (SMAC) and its fatal case review team, ensuring post-crash care expertise is embedded in state-level decision-making.
