Rod Ammon: Welcome to the ResponderSafety.com podcast, brought to you by the Emergency Responder Safety Institute. A committee of the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association. To remain mindful of why we do this work, we start every podcast with an update of emergency responders struck by fatalities. Since January 1st 2024, 22 emergency responders have been struck and killed while assisting the public on the roadway. We have information on the loss of these responders and a memorial tribute available at respondersafety.com/fatalityreports. Our thoughts are with their families and colleagues. Please visit respondersafety.com for more than 150 resources and training that will help you operate more safely at roadway incidents and educate the public about how to safely avoid or pass an emergency scene on the roadway. Our guest today knows the pain of a struck by line of duty death. On October 11th 2018, Hanover County Fire EMS experienced the tragic LODD of Lieutenant Brad Clark when he was struck and killed, assisting at a crash scene. Lieutenant Clark saved the lives of his three crew members by warning them of the oncoming vehicle. Lieutenant Clark's life was given that night. There is no question that he followed his values and instincts when in his final moments he put the lives of his crew before his own. Lieutenant Clark was a native of Hanover County and joined the Hanover Fire EMS Department in 2005. In addition to his duties with Hanover Fire EMS, Lieutenant Clark gave selflessly to firefighters across the country helping them expand their knowledge. He was a founding board member of the 350' Line Incorporated, a Richmond-based nonprofit created to further the education of firefighters across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Lieutenant Clark developed and taught training programs impacting thousands of firefighters across the country. Lieutenant Clark was a devoted and loving husband, father and son. Lieutenant Clark's wife Melanie has made it her life's mission to carry on his legacy. She left her career in dental administration to focus on highway safety awareness in the fire service, advocate to strengthen move over laws in Virginia and raise awareness about move over laws. Melanie speaks to public safety professionals at conferences including FDIC International, Texas Fire Chiefs, Drive Smart Virginia and Virginia Occupational Safety and Health. She is also an ambassador for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, who came to her aid in the early days after her husband's death. In addition to her advocacy, Melanie launched Move Over Virginia Facebook and Instagram pages that highlight the service of firefighters, police officers, and tow truck operators to remind motorists of the importance of moving over for all emergency personnel. Melanie's leadership resulted in Virginia State legislation that strengthened the move over law and the creation of the move over license plate that honors Lieutenant Clark's service and raises money for firefighter training. Melanie is here to talk about her move over work and to provide a family survivor's perspective on a struck by line of duty death. Melanie, we're all sorry for your loss and grateful for what you have done to carry on Brad's work. Thanks for being here.

Melanie Clark: It's my pleasure to share this time with you to talk about the important steps that we've made since Brad's loss.

Rod Ammon: Thank you, Melanie. So let's start by getting to know Brad. Can you tell us about him and his love for the fire service and his family?

Melanie Clark: I would love to. And it's funny that you start with Brad because in every conversation or every presentation that I have, I always start off with Brad as a firefighter, father and husband. So I'm so glad you asked me about him first. Brad was a veteran in the army and after he left the army, he really missed that brotherhood that he had with his fellow brothers and sisters in the army. So Brad comes from a long line of service in his family. Brad has an uncle who worked at our state police for many years. Brad's father was actually a battalion chief in training in the county that's next to Hanover County. So Brad lived growing up in the fire service and surrounding firehouses all over the county. So after serving honorably in the army, he decided he was going to try out being a firefighter, and he absolutely relished it. You could tell that Brad had passion, that this was what he was born to do. His spirit of excitement was absolutely contagious. So others around him that may have been just collecting a check in the fire service really dug in because of his love for the fire service and the citizens in our community. He was all hands on deck. He trained well. He expected good things from his fellow firefighters that he worked with. He wanted to make sure at the end of the day that they all got home safely to their families. He was a consummate student, always mentoring the young firefighters around him, understanding that the knowledge that he gained was better served sharing it with others. So he was a mentor to many. His training and his love for the fire service extended well beyond our county. He actually trained firefighters all over the United States at many large fire conferences. So if you met Brad, his energy, his spirit, it was contagious and he made you fall in love with him. And I'm proof of that for sure.

Rod Ammon: Well, we are all grateful for all of his service and yours today too. It's not hard to see how when faced with this imminent danger, Brad's first thoughts were for his crew. To the extent that you're comfortable talking about it, what would you like to share with us about the day of the crash?

Melanie Clark: Well, I will share how that day started for us. Brad was obviously on duty that morning and I was working at a very busy dental practice in Richmond. And I remember Brad calling me at work around noon, it was around lunchtime. And he said, "I would prefer if you came home early." Because obviously he was getting reports about how bad the impending weather was going to be. We in Virginia were bracing for Tropical Storm Michael. Additional staffing was called to the firehouse that day, and as I said, he was getting weather reports that really looked ominous for the drive home during rush hour traffic. So he called me and I told him that we really have a busy day, that patients are scheduled until five. And again, he was not an alarmist. He never asked in all the years that we were together that I ever left work early. So when he did, I went to my doctor and I said, "Brad said the weather's going to be really bad and that we need to leave early." And Dr. Hart knew Brad well. He was a patient of ours, but also just a frequent visitor of our office. Dr. Hart, without hesitation immediately said, "If Brad says we need to leave, then let's reschedule all our patients and we'll leave early." So Dr. Hart and I and the office left around two o'clock that day, if my memory serves me. I made it home. It was raining at that point, but I took my time and made it home safely. I remember texting with Brad earlier in the day just to check in as we would often do. He talked about later in the evening, another fire station within the county had a tree fall on the aerial platform of a firetruck. So there was definitely some things happening in the county with the high wind and the rain. I told him that I was glad that everyone was safe, that no one was injured and we went on with our evening routine. He at the firehouse and I at home, I think it was around nine o'clock that he called me and just checking in because the weather was really bad and I was at home by myself. He was just checking in and I remember talking to him for just a couple of minutes, as I was often familiar with the fire alarm tone, I got the opportunity to tell Brad for the last time that I loved him and to be careful. And looking back, I'm so grateful that God gave me the opportunity for the last time for our words to be sweet to each other, that I wasn't complaining about the laundry or things at home that needed to be done or anything like that. We had a great conversation and I feel very blessed. I've taken great comfort in knowing that our last words were very positive and loving towards each other, which they often were. So I'm very grateful to know that our last words were very loving and kind.

Rod Ammon: Well, that's beautiful and I'm sure you carry that with you every day. To us it's always really important, and I know it is to you as well, to motivate and educate all of those responders out there to how important it is to be safe out on the roadway. What do you want emergency responders to know about what you and your family experienced after losing Brad?

Melanie Clark: It's hard to describe the loss that we live with. Brad was the glue of our family. He was such a positive, loving, kind, considerate, loyal, all the good things wrapped up into one. And so to lose him has really rocked the core of our foundation. Yeah, so it's really hard to put into words what that loss feels like. It's like part of you is gone. And I almost feel like it's like a body part that's missing and we learn to live without Brad in a way, but he, in his spirit, is always with us. And we do, we feel him. But it is hard to describe the loss that we feel. And when the incident happened and I finally started putting the pieces together, in my mind there was no doubt that Brad would risk his life to save his crew. That to me, what Brad lived in those few seconds, that sacrifice he made honestly was a reflection of his life on Earth. He sacrificed daily. And I'm not surprised in his last few seconds when he could have saved himself, he chose to save others. I'm not surprised by that at all. The unfortunate thing is that Brad should have come home that night. This incident could have been avoided, should have been avoided, and that's what we live with is the burden of that. And how do we make our roadways safer for all the firefighters, including the firefighters Brad saved, who are still firefighters for the most part? How do we help them to be safer on the roadways?

Rod Ammon: What was helpful to you in this journey of loss or what is helpful to you? What do you think responders can do now that would help their families if something catastrophic happened to their responder?

Melanie Clark: Well, I think support is critical. And because of all the connections Brad had in the fire service, and I will say I was very and still am very active with firefighters in our county, in our state, and well beyond our state. So we had family dinners at the firehouse. We had get togethers outside the firehouse. Even when Brad was transferred to other fire stations, we both made it a point for us to get to know the people on his shift. And I believe that was very essential in our family's road to healing because we had such support from the fire service and through our community. Firefighters that trained and worked with Brad weren't strangers to me. And so I feel like I can offer my perspective to other firefighters that it's very important that your family be involved, especially if something like this happens. The other thing I would like to talk about is counseling. That was another critical part of our healing. And it's an ongoing process and it will be for the rest of our lives. But I think what the support of our community, of our fire community that meant so much to Brad, counseling and our faith really got us through a situation where in the beginning we weren't sure if we can make it emotionally from this tragedy. We definitely questioned if we could continue a life without Brad, but I think with those components we were able to move forward. And that is definitely what Brad would want us to do is to take one step in front of the other, to help each other, to love each other through it, to have open and honest conversations with the firefighters who worked that scene that night. And also the fire community as a whole, just to talk about what changes have been made in our county since Brad's loss and some of the steps we've taken to move forward.

Rod Ammon: I am so glad to hear that you've had all of that love and support and counseling. And I hope it continues to provide you what you need to move forward. I'm thinking about when and how you decided to walk away from your career and devote yourself to the safety of emergency responders and motorists. And I'd add to that, from what I can tell, you and Brad have made a change and are continuing to make a change across our country, obviously not just the county.

Melanie Clark: Yes. So this incident happened on October the 11th 2018. And I was very happy in my position. I love my patients, I knew them well, I knew their families. But I never returned full-time after October the 11th at the dental office that I loved. I knew pretty soon after the incident because of the media's interest that I had a unique platform. And although I was grieving, the grief was indescribable. I knew that because of the interest, I had an opportunity to take the pain that our family was going through and make some kind of purpose. And I knew that's what Brad would want is he always looked for ways to improve the fire service because he loved it so much. And because of that love and commitment for me, it was just the right thing to do. So I never returned full-time to the dental office. I did make occasional visits to help my doctor with some claims that needed to be processed. But she again, knew and supported that roadway safety and being a public safety advocate was going to be my new full-time position. And it really has been. I know I met a lot of important people in our House and Senate in Virginia who attended Brad's viewing and funeral service as well as a governor. So I met a lot of people in important positions during this process. And I saved all their cards and I saved all their contact information and I decided that I was going to utilize those contacts and find a way to protect our men and women who are so vulnerable on the roadway. And with a lot of help and some guidance from our former delegate, Chris Peace, we got a lot of change in a little amount of time. And looking back, it's truly incredible. But it did require my full-time attention, whether it be just walking the halls of our General Assembly, meeting with any legislator who was in the elevator. I would also go in the hallways and talked to legislators. I typed out some information about Brad's service to our country, our county. And also explained why the move over law needed to be amended in our state. And also met with them [inaudible 00:19:00] and I met with their staff. And so it literally became my full-time job to lobby for changes in our state with the move over law. And we were successful. But I do believe because we were able to solicit a lot of support, I had a lot of sea of blue behind me, whether it was our firefighters or police officers, our tow truck drivers were there when I testified to the House and Senate and our governor. So there was a lot of support because everyone knew that we had to make some changes to protect our firefighters, police officers and our tow truck drivers in our state.

Rod Ammon: You've done an amazing job coming out of incredibly hard times. And I have to give a shout out to your doctor that you've worked with. She sounds like an amazing person from the day things went bad right through as you moved on. That's the kind of support that I think people, humanity, needs to have. And I think it needs to be mentioned. How did you transform yourself? I mean, it's a big change going from where you were into this powerful advocate for move over.

Melanie Clark: It happened very soon after Brad's loss. Our story was being told and I remember a firefighter that I was very close with that knew Brad and loved Brad well. He said, "Mel, your story is being written. Who do you want to hold the pen?" And I was like, "Wow, that's pretty incredible." And I wanted part of, I guess, strength, number one was my love for Brad. And that meant I would have to do something. And I will be honest with you, when you're in the grip of grief, it's hard to just function. It's hard to just get up and live your life. But Brad was so much more than just a member of our family that it was like I was being propelled in a way. I know it probably sounds a little awkward or weird, but he just passed the baton. And I knew it was important to him and I felt like it was in a way my responsibility to help others because that's how we lived his life. So I feel in a way I was honoring Brad's legacy, which he created on his own, a very honorable legacy. But I was just continuing our story, which I think is an important story to tell, to help other people. That's what drove me was my love for Brad and I knew we could do something to make our state better than it was before. And the thought of attending another firefighter funeral was something honestly, I just don't think I could bear. And I love these men and women that worked with Brad and he loved them. And so it was truly, I just couldn't see something bad happen to another family. I couldn't live with maybe my voice that I had that I really didn't want at the time. I was very vulnerable, but I knew that, okay, our story is out there and that wasn't my choice, but what I can do with the platform that I was given, that is my choice. And I wanted to do what would honor Brad and the right thing to do. And that's why I chose to make this my full-time lifelong mission.

Rod Ammon: Well, you're obviously doing it well. I truly believe that decisions we make earlier in life, especially people like Brad where they have passed this baton on. The beginning of passing on that baton seems to have been the day he married a great lady. And he's lucky to have had you and to be able to have you carrying that baton now. I think it's a good time to talk about what you and your fellow advocates have achieved with regard to the move over and safety on the roadways.

Melanie Clark: Yes. After Brad's incident, the incident that took his life, after meeting delegates and senators of our state and our governor, I knew that we really needed to change the move over law in Virginia. Before Brad's incident, there was a traffic infraction for failure to move over, slow down for red or blue and amber lights. It was just a $250 fine. It was something that wasn't talked about. It wasn't really spoken about the importance of moving over, slowing down. And obviously if the truck driver that hit Brad's firetruck would've followed the current move over law or the law at that time, we would not be in the position that we are. But because he did not uphold the law, we knew that in order to educate the public of the importance of this law that we would need to make some changes. So very soon after the funeral, I started holding meetings with our lawmakers, our legislators in the State of Virginia. And one delegate, a former delegate, Chris Peace was one who really took me under his wing and he pushed hard for the amendment to the move over law. And it had to pass a lot of committees within the House. And as you probably know, which I've got a crash course in government with this process, but it also had to make its way to the Senate. And it was a long and bumpy road. Even though we got it passed in the General Assembly the year of Brad's death, there were many opportunities to testify, and it was kicked in one committee and out of the other. And so it was a long and arduous process, but with the support and guidance from Chris Peace and the co-patrons that signed on to this bill, we were able to get it to the finish line. So now the amended law is a class one misdemeanor, up to a year in jail, fines of up to $2,500. So that's a significant increase in penalties and fines for violators of the move over law. But I think as important is the education piece that it brought to our community because obviously the media talked about the process as it was in legislation and the amendment, but also focused the changes that the law would bring in July. And so we got a lot of media coverage and that has helped start the conversation of the importance of moving over and slowing down when you see red, blue or amber lights. And just last year, AAA was in our state paved the way for adding motorists who had their flashing lights, emergency lights activated as protecting them under the move over, slow down law. So that is another significant change that I fully support. So this courtesy, this protection, now applies to every motorist that is on the side of the road experiencing emergency of some kind, whether it be changing the tire on the car or having a medical emergency. If you're pulled over and you have your emergency lights activated, you have those protections as well. So now we're still working with the media to make sure all motorists understand the changes of the law and we're very happy and proud of that change.

Rod Ammon: You should be. That's beautiful work. And I'm not sure how many states have gone that far. I don't think many. But I have seen a change. I do drive up and down the East Coast a lot and I have seen a change. So I think your work is paying off. I see more and more people all the time pulling over way in advance when they know and when there's advanced warning. So kudos to you. You've done some other things.

Melanie Clark: Yes.

Rod Ammon: I know you had-

Melanie Clark: Sorry.

Rod Ammon: No, that's okay. The work with the license plate and firefighter training.

Melanie Clark: Yes, the work continues. And again, I do believe this will be a lifelong commitment. So the license plate is something that we are so proud of as the Clark family. So during the change and amendment of the move over, slow down law, we also worked on getting a memorial license plate for Brad. And it's actually under the specialty move over, slow down. So if you're looking under that tab under DMV, you'll see the specialty plate. It has a firefighter flag in the background and it has a portrait of Brad along with the date of his end of watch and the coordinates of where this incident happened. But underneath the firefighter flag, you'll see move over and slow down. So we're so proud of that. Brad is the second person in the history of Virginia license plates to have his portrait. So we're thrilled about that. That was not the easiest thing in the world, but I knew for me, if we were going to have a license plate, it needed to be done the way I felt our family felt important. And to have his portrait was important to us. A firefighter that trained with Brad, who actually lives in Charlottesville, took that iconic picture that is on the license plate. And thousands of plates have been sold and the proceeds of the plate go to Fredericks Family Fund. Andy Fredericks was a firefighter who was killed in 9/11. He had a lot of colleagues that lived in Alexandria and they made it their mission to help provide a college education for his children. His children have since gone on and graduated from college. And so the monies from the plates go to help families impacted by catastrophic injury or line of duty death in our state. It also provides training for firefighters all across the United States, but especially the training is held in our State of Virginia. And when they open their registration, they're sold out in five minutes. Brad was actually a guest speaker at Andy Fredericks and for him it was like winning the lottery. He loved being with brothers and sisters with like minds and to be able to speak at that auditorium in front of people who really loved their job, for him was just an awesome day. And so when we decided which foundation to attach the proceeds to, it was a clear choice for me how important this foundation is to Brad. So he is still helping families through this foundation every day. And so we're very proud of that.

Rod Ammon: As you should be. You're also doing public education and speaking to responders. Can you talk about what issues and goals that you're continuing to work on and what keeps you going? It's got to be hard, tiring, but probably rewarding too.

Melanie Clark: It is hard to talk about the worst day of your life. And I have learned to build in a little bit of time after I speak just to take care of myself. Whether it's just turning off my phone for a little bit and taking a walk. Connecting with nature has always been important to me. And so I find ways to take care of myself after all these events and build in a little bit of time just to unwind. I've had the opportunity to speak to so many different professionals, whether it be state workers, whether it be police officers, firefighters, whether it be motorist, whether it be children. I've had the opportunity to speak at schools and driving ed program. I think that's so important is if we educate our young drivers to make good choices, we're really making strides to do that. And we also have learned in this process that a child is quick to tell their parent when they're distracted driving, whether it be with their cell phone or whatever, that a child correcting their parent happens. And as a parent, you typically listen to your child who says, "Hey, mom and dad, please don't drive distracted. Please move over when you see blue lights, red lights." And we've noticed an impact with young children. So I've had the opportunity to speak to a variety of people. If I'm speaking to law enforcement or firefighters, I obviously share our story. And I think that provides an understanding of why we continue on and why we've worked so hard to see all these changes is because it all starts with our love and commitment to Brad and what the ripple effects of that look like. So yes, it's been an credible journey, but I am very quick to talk to police and fire about how they can protect their families if something were to happen in the line of duty. Whether that be review your beneficiaries, have a will, living trust, all those things that we can do to protect our families. Let's face it, our firefighters and police officers are at an extreme risk. And I think we're doing them a disservice by not talking about hard things. And I will tell you, Brad, I don't know if it was because his military service, but it was very important to Brad to make sure that our family was protected in case something like this were to happen. He made steps to make sure that we would be protected. He, I think, which is very unique, and again, I'm not sure if it stems from his military service, left our family a letter in case something should happen to him. And he told me at one of the firehouse dinners, he said, "Can you come into my office for a little bit?" I'm like, "Okay." And he got on his computer and he said, "I have a letter if something were to happen to me in the line of duty." And I was just shocked. And I said, I kind of shut down that conversation, "I don't want to talk about this. This scares me." And he's like, "I don't want to scare you. I just want to protect you." And he never read me the letter. That was not his intention. He just told me, "It's here." So we went on and had dinner with his crew. And it's something I may have brought up with him a couple of times after that, but because he didn't read the letter to me, it wasn't my focus. But I will tell you, after I was informed of the incident on the way out of the firehouse that night, the last thing I said to them, and it didn't pop into my mind until I was literally walking out was, "Brad's left me a letter." And of course the chief didn't know about the letter because he only told me about the letter. So the chief asked me, "Which computer? Which station? "Because he was assigned to several stations in the county. And because of the trauma, I could not remember what firehouse I was at, what desktop it was on. I just could not remember. So the IT department was able to retrieve that letter and it was read during his memorial service. And although it is extremely hard to read because it definitely puts into words his love for our family, it is also an incredible gift. So I share with our police and fire the letter and why it might be something that they could leave for their family as well.

Rod Ammon: It sure sounds like a beautiful gift and I'm glad you have it. I'm thinking about all this good work you've done and whether you've thought about all these changes you've made and how you continue to advocate for help for emergency responders and how it's going to affect families in the future?

Melanie Clark: It's very hard to measure the success because obviously you only hear about something when a tragedy occurs. Some firefighters have given me video, "Look, Mel, they're moving over. I see it happening. We're making a difference here." And so that's how I measure the success is by seeing it happen. And obviously I'm grateful for the days that continue without an injury or fatality of a fire or police officer or tow truck driver. Because as we both know, their job, their office is on our busy roadways where they have no protection, they're completely vulnerable to drivers. And literally the drivers have the lives of these professionals in their hands. And at the end of the day, Brad and his crew did everything right that night. They wore their hi-vis, they had their lights activated, they were all the way in the left hand lane in the shoulder. They responded the way that they were supposed to. But you have the element of something you can't control and that is a distracted driver. And so obviously part of our message is to educate the public that even though moving over and slowing down might affect you getting from point A to point B in a matter of minutes or sometimes if there is an incident on the roadside, then it could be longer than minutes. You're still dealing with someone's husband, father, sister, mother, that work on the roadways, that are completely 100% vulnerable to drivers. So it's also about putting that personal story, making sure that motorists are aware that these are people too. And really to understand how this one act can affect the rest of someone's life. The act of moving over, slowing down, really it's a critical gesture. It's a critical decision that can be made in seconds that affect the rest of your life. Whether you are the violator of the law or whether you follow the law, those critical seconds can determine someone's life forever.

Rod Ammon: Well, I believe that what you've done has made change. I think it'll continue to do so. If somebody's out there listening, wants to work on move over or similar issues in their community or state, what would you suggest to help get them started?

Melanie Clark: You have to put in the legwork. You have to be boots on the ground. You have to be completely committed. You have to have a good support team around you. It has to be a super important issue for you to invest the time that it takes to make change. And there are going to be some hard days when politicians will look at you and seem interested in your story, but vote differently. And then you highlight that to your community and hold the legislators accountable to how they vote in a committee meeting. So you just have to be willing to invest the time and the heart. And I think support is essential. Getting out there, meeting your delegates, meeting your representatives who support your county. Going beyond our county borders and meeting our senators who have such power over our states. Emailing, calling is an essential part, but also being there in person I think is really the difference maker. Being there, being present when they vote on a bill. Looking at them eye to eye, having support around you, I think made the difference for us. We had a lot of support because everyone understood that the stakes were high. And so I think that really helped. Support, determination, time, all those things really matter when you're talking to legislators. And making Brad personal and really talking about his sacrifice and why this change is important to our state to protect other people that are like Brad, that still work on our roadways and what we can do as fellow Virginians to make our roadway safer. And we had bipartisan support. And I think that's critical is reaching... I don't talk about politics other than I would reach out to everyone. No matter what your political leanings are, you learn to work with everyone on each side of the aisle to make a difference.

Rod Ammon: I think all good suggestions. Any resources that you want to point folks to that you've been involved with in creating or things that you found helpful?

Melanie Clark: I post updates on my Move Over Virginia Facebook page. I highlight fire, police who work on our roadways and I talk about the important changes that are happening, those conversations to make our roadways safer. Also Instagram. So yes, things are continuing to happen. This conversation will be ongoing. And I think it's important a lot of times in the middle of, or these almost six years that have passed since we lost Brad, it's easy to get disappointed or feel like this isn't a priority in every conversation. And I would tell myself, okay, remember when MADD, drunk driving, was almost acceptable in our community. And as drivers, it was okay to have a beer and drive down the road. And we have changed that narrative in our country of saying, this was an okay practice, this was an okay behavior to now it's shameful. You have choices, you can make better decisions, and you need to do that. So I feel like we're in the beginning of a movement with a move over, slow down law that these are the painful days where some days feel like there's not much traction, or I know when we went through COVID, that slowed down that important conversation that we were having. Now that we're back on the roadways, we're obviously seeing a higher number of incidents that can be avoided. So we're having this conversation, but I think it's only going to improve over the years. I think this is the beginning of a movement that we'll see maybe federal changes, maybe a better understanding of the laws in each state, maybe make something more uniform so that no matter what state you're in, the laws are consistent and the conversations are being had. So we've got a lot of work ahead and a long way to go. But I do see this as being an important conversation for years to come and hopefully it'll be important to our motorist and educating our motorist. And so yeah, we've got a lot of work to do, but we've made a lot of progress, so I'm very happy with that too.

Rod Ammon: I think you have. Melanie, I'm really grateful for your openness in talking with us. We are very mindful that you share your pain and grief to tirelessly educate and motivate others to make changes so other families don't have to experience what yours has. Your work and Brad's life help others and save others every day. Thank you. Now for news from respondersafety.com. The GAO has released a report called Roadside Safety: DOT Should Update Public Awareness Materials on Move over Laws. The report was created under a provision of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The report identifies the key characteristics of states move over laws, describes how states have promoted move over laws and assesses the extent to which DOT has supported states' efforts to promote these laws. The report recommends that NHTSA update its public awareness materials on states' move over laws to more fully reflect the range of vehicles covered by these laws. The Emergency Responder Safety Institute's work is mentioned several times in the report. A link to the GAO report is on this podcast page on the Responder Safety Learning Network. If you know of an incident where a person or an emergency vehicle is struck while operating at a roadway incident, please report it at reportstruckby.com. We are continuing to collect these reports to better understand how struck by incidents occur so we can determine what training, public education and safety messaging is needed to reduce struck by incidents. Anyone can file a report and reports from all response groups are accepted. The site is mobile device responsive for easy reporting from the field or the station. We hope you'll make reportstruckby.com part of your debrief or incident report procedure for roadway responses. Finally, just a quick reminder to connect with us on social media for timely updates on news and emergency response and respondersafety.com activities. Like and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/roadwaysafety. On Instagram at instagram.com/roadwaysafety. And on X at x.com/respondersafety. This podcast, ResponderSafety.com, and the Responder Safety Learning Network are made possible by funding from a Fire Prevention and Safety Grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program administered by FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. We appreciate your support and remember to share these podcasts with your colleagues to spread the word about safety practices at roadway incident scenes. Thanks for joining us today on the podcast. Stay safe everybody. And we'll see you next time. For ResponderSafety.com, I'm Rod Ammon.

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DOT Should Update Public Awareness Materials on Move Over Laws. General Accounting Office report.

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