Behind the scenes of Workman Wednesday

By: Lauren Padgett

Every day, WSDOT’s Incident Response Team patrols highways, clearing crashes, helping stranded drivers and keeping traffic moving safely. Most of the time, their work goes unnoticed – unless something goes wrong. But on a recent Wednesday, the flashing lights and sirens were out for a different reason: to give a curious 4-year-old named MJ a closer look at what they do.

MJ, who lives with his family in Yelm, is on a mission to meet “workmans” of all kinds – like plumbers, electricians and construction workers. His mom, Jessica Lee, shares them on TikTok series called “Workman Wednesday.”

4-year-old MJ Lee is interested in meeting "workmans" of all kinds, and was interested in learning about how Incident Response Teams help drivers on the road.

A former communications manager for WSDOT follows Lee’s TikTok account and suggested that WSDOT reach out for a collaboration. When he was approached by the social media team, Northwest Region IRT superintendent Dennis Smith knew it was an opportunity to highlight IRT, who perform a critical service.

“Statewide, IRT spends most of their day handling unpleasant situations ranging from helping driver’s who have run out of gas or need their tire changed, to complex fatality collisions, of which our IRT are often first on scene. They are interacting with the public on one of their worst, if not the worst, day of their lives,” Smith said. “Having the opportunity for my team to interact with this youngster reminded us of why we all got into this profession to begin with: to do our best to provide safe passage and ensure the members of our community and beyond get to where they are going.”

Smith, with the help of IRT drivers Brian Downing, Michael Hedquist and Justin Backes, gave MJ a tour of their trucks. They showed him how to talk on the dispatch radio and how the lights, sirens and loudspeakers work. They even showed him how they use sand to clean up after a spill, drag a chain and put gas in a car.

“These are hardworking people who don’t get the same recognition that others get, and we appreciate the jobs you don’t see or know much about,” said Lee.

For a child fascinated by “workman” jobs, it was a dream come true, and for the NWR IRT, it was a sweet way to share a meaningful message.

From left, Dennis Smith, Brian Downing, MJ Lee, Justin Backes and Michael Hedquist pose in front of the IRT trucks.

“IRT is a special breed, and responding to a collision or disabled vehicle in the center lane is not for the faint of heart. My entire crew means something to someone. We all do,” Smith said. “So slow down, move over and let us do what we do, so we can continue to ensure that we get people like MJ and his mom out of a travel lane and to a safe location or on their way.”

WSDOT social media manager Rachel Terlep said that participating in MJ’s “Workman Wednesday” series was a way to help share the IRT story with more people.

WSDOT NWR IRT Superintendent Dennis Smith fixes 4-year-old MJ Lee's hat as he gets ready to tour the Incident Response trucks for "workman Wednesday." 

“We talk about our crews’ great work all the time, but this collaboration was unique. People expect WSDOT to praise its own crews, but when that message comes from someone they already recognize, it carries more authenticity and impact,” said Terlep.

In all, this simple meet-and-greet reached over 160,000 views online, through WSDOT and Lee’s social media posts.

“This is delightful! And many thanks to the IRT for helping me when I was in an accident on busy I-5 in the dark! It is dangerous work but so appreciated,” one user wrote.

Other viewers agreed.

“I love how these guys are taking the time to show him everything. Thank you, Washington State DOT! We love you and appreciate you, and we learned a lot! WSDOT Incident Response are like superheroes ... my heart needed this today.”