KEARNEY, Neb. — Hastings Fire Chief Brad Starling wears a bracelet on his wrist bearing the name of his mentor in the fire service.

He wears it to remember his friend’s legacy and as a reminder to be cautious at accident scenes.

“He was just trying to help people and do good. Unfortunately, what we see too often is that distracted drivers, people that aren’t paying attention, cause secondary accidents on the interstate," Starling said. "Unfortunately, he was a victim of that.”

Starling’s friend Bryant Gladney isn’t the only victim of a secondary accident. Two Nebraska Department of Transportation workers died at crash scenes in Hamilton and Custer counties in recent months.

“Troopers, our firefighters, our tow operators, our transportation workers - they are exposed to this trauma every week," Nebraska State Patrol Col. John Bolduc said. "Death and destruction on the highways. That takes a toll on people like these folks that are standing here.”

Leaders of several state and Tri-Cities area agencies gathered in Kearney Wednesday to take action. They signed a memorandum of understanding formalizing their adherence to Nebraska Traffic Incident Management, or TIM. It’s a shared system that defines protocols and expectations at an accident scene.

Starling says TIM has benefited Hastings Fire and Rescue since it adopted the system.

“Now, everyone operates under the same playbook," Starling said. "We know what the tow operators are trying to do, we know what law enforcement is trying to do. We all have the same safety standards and we can help each other out in following those standards.”

The system was created more than a decade ago and has gradually spread throughout the state. It includes standardized training and a review process.

“Doing the after-action reviews helps us learn lessons," Bolduc said. "From the incident that we worked last week, we’re going to find out what we can do better. What can we as responders do better?”

Wednesday’s agreement gives Starling hope for the future.

“Hopefully, I never have to speak with anyone’s family member and tell them that we lost their responder on the roadway because of unsafe practices,” Starling said.