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From page 24... ... Part 3 Chapter 5: Emergency Management Plays: Approaches and Solutions In an emergency, transportation agencies need to protect employees and customers, ensure continuity of operations, re-align service to meet changes in demand, secure additional funding and assets, enhance communications with all stakeholders, and train and educate employees on response duties. All this must be accomplished while ensuring systemic and structural resilience of their transportation system. Read the entire page →
From page 25... ... PLAY: Planning, Training, & Exercises MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Preparedness All Pandemic IMPROVE AND UPDATE PLANNING • Pandemic plans (who does what) are a variation of existing plans such as Continuity of Operations (COOP) Read the entire page →
From page 26... ... DO EXERCISES • Short tabletop exercises can be valuable. Good topics include: » Employee rights and protections. Read the entire page →
From page 27... ... PLAY: Employee Impact MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Mitigation All Pandemic OVERVIEW Employee health and safety are paramount in a pandemic. Like other events, pandemics impact employees' availability for work because of family circumstances, illness, and safety. Read the entire page →
From page 28... ... Kansas DOT reported a significant number of employees have spouses who are essential service workers, some of whom are frequently exposed to COVID. To accommodate their needs, the organization expanded the availability of telework. Read the entire page →
From page 29... ... PLAY: Pandemic Protective Actions MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Response All Pandemic "Controlling exposures to occupational hazards is the fundamental method of protecting workers." CDC OVERVIEW During a pandemic, voluntary or mandatory protective actions may be required to ensure the safety of employees and passengers. Because employees' work requirements may differ, there may be different types of protective actions necessary. Read the entire page →
From page 30... ... ENHANCE PROTECTION FOR EMPLOYEES WITH PUBLIC FACING JOBS • For COVID-19 and similar respiratory-based pandemics, public health guidelines are likely to recommend that all employees and travelers wear masks to protect themselves and others, in addition to following regular handwashing and sanitation measures. Make sure you have a clear policy and enforcement guidelines for employees. Read the entire page →
From page 31... ... PLAY: Pandemic Public Transit Protective Actions MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Response Transit Pandemic "Just as riders rely on us, we rely on our passengers to protect themselves and one another by respecting these commitments." American Public Transportation Association (APTA) OVERVIEW To ensure the safety of employees and passengers, voluntary or mandatory protective actions may be required. Read the entire page →
From page 32... ... Social Distancing • Carefully establish and communicate social distancing policies with staff and passengers. • Enforcing social distancing requires information and agility. Read the entire page →
From page 33... ... SEMI-STATIONARY POSITIONS (Bus and Train Operators, Station Attendants) • Require the public to adhere to specific protocols such as masks to protect other passengers and operators or station attendants. Read the entire page →
From page 34... ... CLEANING AND DISINFECTING • High visibility of cleaning crews and sensory cues, such as scent, can reassure passengers (Figure 8) Read the entire page →
From page 35... ... PLAY: Situational Awareness & Reporting MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Response All Pandemic "It's what you know, what you learn, and what you can confirm." Shelton Shaw, Utah Transit Authority OVERVIEW Situational awareness allows the organization to understand the existing environment in which it works, comprehend the current situation, and project appropriate actions for the future. Although maintaining situational awareness presents a significant challenge during emergencies and crises, it provides an essential common view for the organization to develop and use for decisions up and down the line. Read the entire page →
From page 36... ... CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR AND EVALUATE • Track health and availability of operators and key staff every day, division by division (Figure 9) Read the entire page →
From page 37... ... CONSIDER FUTURE OPTIONS • Use your community's or organization's disaster experience, whether from response to storms, cyberattacks, or exercises to help guide planning for future actions. Recognize the differences and similarities between a pandemic and previous events. Read the entire page →
From page 38... ... PLAY: Communications MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Response All Pandemic "Overcommunication is your best friend – when people are stressed and fearful, they have a hard time absorbing information." Dana Hendrix, Caltrans OVERVIEW Clear, consistent messaging across levels of government and organizations is crucial for agency credibility and for public and employee confidence and compliance. During events, regular communications keep the agencies' partners, press, and public informed and address rumor control. Read the entire page →
From page 39... ... WITH EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP • Jointly establish routines for ongoing communications so leaders know what to expect and when. • Use key indicators or dashboards to reflect status. Read the entire page →
From page 40... ... WITH THE PRESS • Maintain relationships with newspaper, radio, and television reporters who understand the transportation context. • Provide regular briefings and press releases on policies, service changes, and events. Read the entire page →
From page 41... ... PLAY: Communications, cont'd STATE DOTs • Use variable message signs for public health messages in compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Read the entire page →
From page 42... ... PLAY: Restore Public Confidence MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Response/Recovery All Pandemic "Winning riders back is a process, not a one-time action." Phil Washington, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority OVERVIEW Employees, customers, and the general public may fear returning to the workplace, resuming riding buses or trains, and resuming interactions with co-workers, in restaurants, and other facets of everyday life. Those who are in high-risk health categories, or have family members at high risk, may be particularly concerned. Read the entire page →
From page 43... ... PLAY: Restore Public Confidence, cont'd APTA developed a Health and Safety Commitments Program (Figure 13) that identified four key areas that transit systems need to address to earn riders' confidence: • Following public health guidelines from official sources. Read the entire page →
From page 44... ... PLAY: Traffic Management MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Response Highway Pandemic "Develop a broader view." PennDOT OVERVIEW Pandemics can disrupt community life, involving changes in commuting patterns, closures of schools, stores, and gathering places, and creating new services, such as testing or distribution centers, disrupting traffic management. Traffic monitoring at state borders and enforcement of local quarantines can interrupt normal traffic flow. Read the entire page →
From page 45... ... PLAY: Traffic Management, cont'd Many State and local transportation organizations use signage, traffic barriers, and cones to facilitate traffic flow at COVID testing sites (Figure 14) Read the entire page →
From page 46... ... PLAY: Service Operations Adjustments MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Response Highway Pandemic "As a public service provider, you don't restore your service just to restore your service, you try to identify where you can accomplish the most good." Carl Sedoryk, CEO of the Monterey-Salinas Transit District OVERVIEW During a pandemic, it is critical to continuously monitor and dynamically adjust service and operations in response to both passenger demand and operator/vehicle supply and capacity. Demand can change dramatically: passenger volumes by time of day, definitions and requirements for essential travel, and passenger trip patterns. Read the entire page →
From page 47... ... PLAY: Service Operations Adjustments, cont'd by bus, compared with capacity under social distancing policies. Also track "pass-bys" or passengers not picked up due to exceeded bus capacity. Read the entire page →
From page 48... ... Oahu Transit, HI, uses dynamic scheduling to adjust buses and routes depending on need. Drivers are trained on multiple lines and can be shifted as needed during the day. Read the entire page →
From page 49... ... PLAY: Evacuations/Shelter-in-Place: Pandemic Impact MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Response All Concurrent/Pandemic "We're planning for evacuation buses and mobilizing our people, but from a pandemic perspective, we're also having to take into account screening people and providing PPE." Dr. Shawn Wilson, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development OVERVIEW Certain events, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and major flooding, require people to evacuate their current locations and move to safer ones. Read the entire page →
From page 50... ... PLAY: Evacuations/Shelter-in-Place: Pandemic Impact, cont'd SHELTERING-IN-PLACE OR IN THE COMMUNITY • Identify transportation implications if the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is considering recommending shelter-in-place (or shelter nearby, in the community) Read the entire page →
From page 51... ... PLAY: Financial Management MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Recovery All Pandemic "With limited resources, an agency needs to think differently, more creatively." Laura Mester, Michigan DOT OVERVIEW Pandemics can have broad-ranging impacts on the financial aspects of an agency – ranging from the tracking and documentation necessary for reimbursement of emergency responses, immediate loss of agency revenue (tolls, fares, sales tax, and related revenues) as travel shuts down to the longterm impacts of potentially reduced federal/state/local funding and business demand as the economy settles into an altered state. Read the entire page →
From page 52... ... PLAY: Financial Management, cont'd LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES • Manage contracts proactively – expedite ready-to-complete projects at reduced time/cost and stop projects that can be delayed conserving available budget if necessary. • Access funds that may become available in special legislation focused on "shovel ready projects." Make sure you have a list available so you can respond quickly to opportunities. Read the entire page →
From page 53... ... PLAY: Emergency Support Function 1 (ESF-1) and Community Support MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Response/Recovery All Pandemic "It's important work that transit agencies are doing right now, even if it looks different than what we normally see." Ann Rejewski with the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies OVERVIEW Transportation's role in the National Response Framework requires state DOTs and transit organizations, among others, to support the community with resources and services. Read the entire page →
From page 54... ... PLAY: Emergency Support Function 1 (ESF-1) and Community Support, cont'd The Governor of Florida tasked Florida DOT with screening visitors coming into the state, first at seaports and airports, then arriving by road from adjoining states at one phase of the pandemic. Read the entire page →
From page 55... ... PLAY: Agency Stabilization MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS Recovery All Pandemic "Normal functions wouldn't return until a tested vaccine is available for everyone, the Stabilization Plan is a ‘working document' that will change." Pauletta Tonilas, Agency spokeswoman, Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) OVERVIEW Because pandemics can last for months or longer, an initial agency emergency response cannot be sustained long-term. Read the entire page →
From page 56... ... PLAY: Agency Stabilization, cont'd MONITOR, ASSESS AND DOCUMENT LESSONS LEARNED • Monitor whether strategies and actions are fully implemented as intended and analyze data on how effective those strategies/actions are. • Consider using a safety assurance program with indicators to assess safety. Read the entire page →
From page 57... ... PLAY: Concurrent Emergencies with Pandemics MISSION AREA MODE EVENTS All All Pandemic, Plus Hurricane, Wildfire, Flooding, Other Disasters ALL "It's really a juggling act and you're juggling some very fragile crystal balls." Dr. Shawn Wilson, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development OVERVIEW The long-lasting nature of pandemics means one or more other major emergency events may also occur. Read the entire page →
From page 58... ... • Consider increasing use of technology to limit human exposure. For example, for damage assessment, use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones) Read the entire page →

From page 24...

... Part 3 Chapter 5: Emergency Management Plays: Approaches and Solutions In an emergency, transportation agencies need to protect employees and customers, ensure continuity of operations, re-align service to meet changes in demand, secure additional funding and assets, enhance communications with all stakeholders, and train and educate employees on response duties. All this must be accomplished while ensuring systemic and structural resilience of their transportation system.