8.1 Introduction
This section of the Final Report summarizes the recommended practices for
state and local transportation agencies identified during this project.
These recommendations address the five phases of emergency management and
are organized according to them. The five phases of emergency management
specified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the National
Response Plan (December 2004) are:
Awareness: steps taken to identify, confirm,
and monitor an event or those activities that could precede an event.
Prevention: steps taken to avoid an incident or to mitigate an incident’s
effects,
Preparedness: steps taken in advance to reduce the potential loss from
an event,
Response: steps taken during or immediately after an event to save lives
and property, and
Recovery: steps taken to restore the affected areas to
their normal status.
In addition, this section of the report provides recommendations
to FHWA for strategies to assist state and local transportation agencies
in these
five phases of emergency response. 8.2 Recommended Practices for State and
Local Transportation Agencies
8.2.1 Awareness
Awareness includes steps taken to identify, confirm, and
monitor an event, or those activities or behaviors that could precede an
event. As part
of awareness for biohazard events, transportation agencies should
incorporate the following recommendations into their emergency response for
biohazard
situations:
- Develop Relationships with Other Relevant Agencies:
- Local, regional, and state transportation agencies, Emergency Management
Agencies, Emergency Operations Centers, Local Emergency Planning Committees
(LEPCs), and State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) should develop
relationships with each other and have knowledge of relevant skills and capabilities.
These agencies should work together to identify critical transportation resources
and facilities. Local and state law enforcement agencies should also develop
relationships with state and regional Departments of Health.
- Increase Employee Awareness of Biological Threats:
- Employees of transportation agencies should be made aware of the types
of transportation infrastructure that are most likely to be targets of a
biohazard attack or inadvertently contaminated due to a biohazard. Employees
should also be trained so they understand the actions to take in the event
of suspicious conditions, packages, or behavior in transportation facilities.
Procedures should be established and communicated to employees regarding
what to do in the event that a biohazard is suspected or verified within
a transportation facility (e.g., subway station, highway rest stop, or airport).
The Learning Tool contained in Section 7 of this report can be used to increase
awareness of biological threats.
- Information Sharing for State and Local Agencies:
- Sharing of information regarding the possible uses of ITS technologies
in biohazard situations is critical to creating a nationwide architecture
that is flexible enough to satisfy individual state and local transportation
agency needs and consistent enough create a homogenous system. State and
local agencies should share information regarding the possible uses of ITS
technologies in biohazard situations. State and local transportation agencies
will benefit most from information sources that are user friendly and easily
accessible.
- Identification and Verification of an Incident:
- Agencies should be ready to identify, verify, and respond to an incident
with a strategic set of protocols. Each step should be performed before moving
on to the succeeding steps. For example, incident identification should trigger
all of the necessary actions for this step. Once these are initiated, the
incident response protocols should be triggered.
8.2.2 Prevention
Prevention includes steps taken to avoid an incident or
to mitigate an incident’s
effects. As part of prevention for biohazard events,
state transportation agencies should incorporate the following
recommendations into their emergency
response for biohazard situations:
- Using and Enhancing Existing Transportation Systems and Facilities:
- Transportation systems and equipment such as roadside scales, overhead
signs, and bus depots are normally placed in locations that could also be
critical for the installation of biological sensor technology. Facilities
should be strategically designed to assist emergency responders by providing
additional access, connectivity, and alternate communication portals in the
event of a biological incident.
- Deployment of Technologies:
- Once their reliability has been established, technologies for detection
of biohazards should be deployed throughout the transportation system. Employees
should be adequately trained in their use.
- Compatible Technology and System Standards:
- A biological incident might occur in a system that uses older technologies
and that has minimal resources to acquire new technologies. Transportation
agencies should develop guidance on how they can make the most of their existing
resources. They should also adhere to technology standards to facilitate
interoperability between jurisdictional systems. Local governments should
also communicate specific technology needs to state officials to facilitate
efficient response during times of crisis.
8.2.3 Preparedness
Preparedness includes steps taken in advance to reduce the potential loss
from an event. As part of their preparedness for biohazard events, transportation
agencies should incorporate the following recommendations into their emergency
response for biohazard situations:
- Development of an Operational Concept:
- Transportation agencies should develop a Transportation Biohazard Operational
Concept containing guidelines for managing biohazards. An Operational Concept
is intended to support the efforts of transportation agencies in defining
their organizational structure, roles, responsibilities, processes, and policies
for managing a biohazard event. The Operational Concept must interface with
existing Emergency Operations Plans, building on established terminology,
practices, employee training, and expectations. It should also conform to
the Biological Incident Annex of the state Emergency Operations Plan. State
response frameworks for addressing Emergency Support Functions, including
ESF#8: Public Health and Medical Service and ESF#11: Agricultural
and Natural Resources must be coordinated with state and local agency plans and procedures
for responding to biohazard events.
The transportation agency’s Operational Concept should be written
so that it adequately covers the unique characteristics of a biohazard
as well as other hazards. The Operational Concept should also contemplate
a variety of potential biohazard incidents and a variety of possible responses.
The transportation agency’s Operational Concept should also consider
the unique situations and transportation needs that may arise during a
biohazard event so that lines of command and response options are clear.
Section 5 of this report provides guidance on the development of an operational
concept.
- Identification of Roles and Responsibilities:
- Transportation agencies should clearly delineate roles and responsibilities
in the event of a biohazard incident. Agencies should identify specific responsibilities
by job title and department. For example, agencies should identify statewide
personnel in charge of activation and management of the state wide Transportation
Emergency Operations Center. Transportation agencies should enumerate activities
to coordinate resources during a biohazard, and reference the appropriate
section of the local and state transportation agencies’ Emergency Operations
Plans. Key staff members should be credentialed (e.g., badges and security
clearances if applicable), understand the roles defined in the regional security
framework, and participate in regional planning for biohazards and other
national security-related incidents. Agencies should conduct training for
transportation operations staff and encourage participation in tabletop exercises
with law enforcement and public health agencies.
- Create Inventory of Available Transportation Resources:
- Transportation agencies should inventory all available resources that can
support response agencies, including transportation equipment (e.g., vans,
buses, and towing equipment), transportation facilities (e.g., parking areas
to be used for staging or storage of emergency vehicles), and traffic management
and control devices (e.g., barriers, cones, and portable message signs).
Transportation agencies should also identify how existing technologies and
resources (e.g., variable message signs and traffic controls) can be used
in response to a biohazard incident, including support for restricting mobility
and access, delivering prophylaxis, facilitating evacuations, and other logistics.
Agencies should also identify critical needs for additional capabilities.
- Designation of Primary and Alternate Points of Contact Among Transportation
Officials:
- Agencies should develop plans for staffing critical transportation operations
roles in the event of a biohazard. These plans help ensure that there are
alternates for key positions in the event that certain staff members are
unable to perform their duties.
- Installing and Using ITS Systems:
- A functioning transportation system is important to the financial health
and free movement of citizens across a region. Successful response to a biohazard
incident requires an area-wide approach to emergency management and operations.
Therefore, transportation agencies should initiate regional plans to share
the costs associated with the purchase of ITS and other technologies that
are critical to successful management of a biohazard incident.
- Integration of Transportation Agencies:
- Transportation agencies should be incorporated into the local, regional,
and state decision-making process to provide advice and recommendations regarding
transportation aspects of the response to a biohazard incident.
- Pre-planning among Interdependent Systems:
- Interdependent critical systems, such as health care and public safety,
require that the transportation system be available and functional during
times of crisis. Transportation agencies should develop policies and procedures
to properly prepare for a biohazard situation and coordinate these plans
with other systems. All agencies should work together to establish the appropriate
relationships, plans, and understanding of their network prior to an emergency.
- Agreements and Protocols with Law Enforcement:
- Transportation agencies should develop agreements and protocols for working
with law enforcement to enforce travel restrictions, curfews, and quarantines,
and to support voluntary travel restrictions or “snow day” conditions.
- Use of Private Contractors:
- Transportation agencies utilizing the services of private contractors should
address the use of the contractors’ assets during a biohazard incident
or other emergency in the service agreements with those contractors.
8.2.4 Response
Response includes steps taken during or immediately after an event to save
lives and property. As part of their response to biohazard events, transportation
agencies should incorporate the following recommendations into their emergency
response for biohazard situations:
- Notifying the Public:
- Agencies should be prepared to provide accurate information to the public
about the functionality of the transportation system during a biohazard event.
Accurate, timely, and far-reaching public information is essential to prevent
a collapse of the transportation system. Transportation agencies should also
be prepared to disseminate health and safety information during a biohazard
event if requested by public health officials.
- Mobility to, from, and within Contaminated Areas:
- Protocols and procedures to restrict mobility in areas that may be contaminated
due to a biohazard should be developed and disseminated to transportation
and emergency response officials. Protocols and procedures should also be
developed for other transportation logistics that may be necessary in a biohazard
(e.g., facilitating movement of key personnel and resources, and procedures
to monitor the movement of delivery trucks).
- Communications Links among Agencies:
- Adequate communications links should be created among transportation agencies
(e.g., traffic management centers, highway departments, and transit agencies)
at all levels (e.g., state, regional and local) to handle needs that may
arise in a biohazard situation. These links should also involve other law
enforcement and emergency management officials. Employees should be trained
to use all relevant communications equipment.
- Using ITS to Manage the Transportation System:
- ITS should be used in a variety of applications during a biohazard event:
- ITS surveillance technology can be used to evaluate and track the response
to a biohazard incident, identifying potential problems or response delays,
- ITS communications technology, particularly mobile equipment, can improve
the response to an incident.
- ITS traveler information technology can direct traffic during an incident
that significantly affects the transportation system.
- ITS traffic management technology can help priority vehicles (emergency
responders, law enforcers, or transportation operators) reach their destinations
or identify underutilized parts of an over-burdened system. This technology
could allow officials in the field to control the transportation system
in concert with (or independently of) central control.
ITS is the most efficient tool to assist urban emergency managers position
emergency equipment and personnel during a wide-area biological event. The
application of these assets can also assist emergency managers to bring limited
numbers of the public out of danger in an orderly fashion to a fixed decontamination
position. A plan to use these assets should be a part of the regional emergency
management plan. Additionally, research should continue on biological agent
detection devices that can quickly and reliably detect a biohazard release
and report it to both a central station and a local point of contact.
8.2.5 Recovery
Recovery includes steps taken to restore the affected areas to their normal
state. As part of recovery for biohazard events, transportation agencies
should incorporate the following recommendations into their approaches to
emergency response for biohazard situations:
- Reassuring Passengers:
- After a biohazard incident, the transportation and emergency management
officials will need to restore the public’s confidence in the transportation
system. This may include ongoing monitoring, communications, and services
to ensure the safety of the system.
- Restoring the Transportation System:
- Agencies should prepare plans for returning the transportation network
to full functionality as quickly as possible following a biohazard incident.
- Long-Term Closures:
- Contaminated transportation facilities (e.g., traffic management centers,
transit stations, and air cargo facilities) could be closed for a long period
of time, which would have significant economic implications for a region.
Agencies should prepare contingency plans for alternative methods of transportation.
- Evaluation of Incident Management:
- Transportation agencies should plan to conduct post-event debriefings and
evaluations to assess lessons learned and changes to plans, processes, and
procedures. By examining past biohazard events, agencies can identify how
to improve the response to a future threat.
8.3 Recommended Strategies for FHWA to Assist Transportation Agencies
- Dissemination of Information
-
- Placing this report on the FHWA web site,
- Placing the Learning Tool (see Section 7) on the FHWA web site,
- Distributing
this report directly to state and local transportation agencies,
- Conducting
live or Internet-based trainings,
- Conducting additional workshops,
- Developing emergency response scenarios
and exercises that focus on biohazards,
- Tailoring the Learning Tool (see Section 7) and operational concept (see Section 5) to specific
states or localities, and
- Providing assistance in preparing operational
concepts and emergency response plans.
- Past Response to Biohazard Events:
- FHWA should conduct further research on how transportation agencies have
responded during actual biohazard events and during training exercises, including
the role that ITS played. FHWA should identify the lessons learned from those
events and share them with state and local transportation agencies to help
improve planning and response for biohazard events. This will also provide
a clearer picture of how ITS may have aided in their responses. Although FHWA
currently maintains a resource for ITS benefits, costs, and lessons learned
at http://www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov/, it contains little information about
the application of ITS in biohazard situations.
- Guidance for Localities with Limited Resources:
- Because some localities do not have the resources to invest in new technologies
and systems to prepare for biohazard events, FHWA should conduct research
and analysis on how best to use existing transportation infrastructure in
the event of a biohazard event. This research could include providing assistance
to a limited number of transportation systems, providing recommendations for
their use under various biohazard scenarios, and developing case studies from
which other transportation organizations can learn.
- Enhancing the Learning Tool:
- The Learning Tool in Section 7 was developed based on the activities described
in this report. FHWA should make this tool more effective through techniques
such as working with a focus group to determine its effectiveness, beta testing
it on a target audience, or tailoring for specific state and local transportation
agencies. One significant challenge is the volume of available information
about biohazards and emergency response, compared to the volume of information
about transportation’s role in biohazard situations. Another challenge
is identifying how state and local transportation agencies are presently preparing
for a biohazard incident. Additional information would help FHWA expand the
tool to provide additional instructional design elements, such as summary
checklists, a pictorial glossary, quizzes, and animated illustrations to clarify
the information while engaging the student in the subject matter.
|
