Untitled Document

FTA preparing release on threat and vulnerability

From Comnunique, USA, Inc.
Transit systems in smaller U.S. communities will receive clearer federal guidance on emergency preparedness when the National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP) releases its new DVD titled, “Threat & Vulnerability Assessment for Rural Transit” this spring.

The DVD will give transit operators the knowledge base to more quickly identify potential threats, and the tools to mitigate their potential impacts. Course materials cover issues such as bomb threats, suspicious packages, commandeered vehicles, weather-related emergencies and natural disasters.

The DVD will include video clips featuring best industry practices, exams to certify student knowledge, and a template Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness Plan (SSEPP).

The SSEPPs are currently required for transit systems in large metropolitan areas, but to date little emergency preparedness planning has been required of rural transit systems, defined by the Federal Transit Administration as communities under 50,000 in population.

That definition covers a wide array of transit systems, from high-profile resort systems such as Aspen and Sun Valley, to community transit systems operating within large metropolitan areas, to elderly and disabled providers in what is conventionally considered rural America.

“Last month’s transit bombings certainly brought to the fore the importance of training for critical incidents,” said Gary Gleason, a transit consultant whose company, Communique, is heading the project for National RTAP.

"Not that rural transit operators face the same terrorist threat as London, but rather that all transit operators need the tools to prepare for, survive, and recover from the hazards they face day in and day out. In the parlance of emergency services, an all-hazards approach to incident management.”

The initiative is based on the Federal Transit Administration’s six-point safety and security criteria for driver selection, driver training, drug and alcohol testing, facility/on-board security, vehicle maintenance, and safety data acquisition and analysis.

While states have agreed to work toward safety and security, few states have provided training or placed specific emergency planning requirements on their rural transit operators.

The National RTAP DVD will give transit systems more concrete guidance.