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Accessible Transportation and Emergency Preparedness Planning

September 18, 2013

Event Details

• The presentation can be downloaded from the ESPA

website (www.ProjectACTION.org)

• This event is being recorded and transcribed.

• Archived version available on our website in

approximately 30 days

• Accessible formats can be obtained by emailing

webinars@easterseals.com

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Event Details (cont..)

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the cc, go to:

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Meet Your Presenters

• Julie Bommelman, Transit Administrator, City of

Fargo, North Dakota

• Kevin Shanley, Senior Emergency Management

Coordinator, City of Chicago Office of

Emergency Management & Communications

• Carol Wright, Senior Director, Easter Seals

Accessible Transportation Programs

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Emergency Preparedness Planning

Carol WrightSenior DirectorEaster Seals Accessible Transportation Programs

Emergency Preparedness

A Working Definition:

1)Actions you take to anticipate and minimize the

impact of emergency events

2)Planning measures taken to ensure reactions to

emergency events are efficient and effective

Planning

“In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans

are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Basics of Emergency Preparedness

1.Understand the threat

2.Integrate accessible transportation, people with

disabilities, and others who are transit-dependent into the

planning process

3.Identify all available resources

Common Types of Emergencies

1)Accidents/Incidents

2)Hazardous Materials

3)Criminal Activity

4)Organization Infrastructure

5)Domestic or International Terrorism

6)Acts of Nature/Severe Weather

Preparing for Emergencies

Many organizations are preparing for emergency events

just like you are, but not all of them are thinking from the

same point of view.

It is important to integrate transit

into the local emergency community.

Planning: Local Emergency Management

1. Who is involved in community emergency

preparedness planning?

2. Is your agency currently involved?

3. What is expected of transit?

4. Are people with disabilities and other transit-

dependent people represented in the planning

process?

5. Are written Emergency Service Agreements in

place?

Accessibility During an Emergency

Through inclusive conversations and extensive

outreach, people with disabilities can ensure that they

know their transportation options during an emergency.

Communities can make sure they are aware of the

different needs of transit-dependent

people in their communities, as well

as the locations of the homes of people

with disabilities should evacuation be

necessary.

Potential Accessible Transportation Resources: Building a Database

1. Local school districts with lift-equipped buses

2. Community emergency medical vehicles

(ambulances)

3. Vans/buses from places of worship

4. Local assisted living facility vehicles

5. Local community and public transit vehicles

6. Paratransit vehicles

Potential Accessible Transportation Resources: Building a Database

7. Area agencies on aging/senior citizen center

vehicles

8.Accessible taxis

9.Adult day care vehicles

10.Airport car rental shuttle

buses

11.Airport shuttle buses

Accessible Transportation & Emergency Preparedness Planning

Accessible transportation should be identified and

described in a city’s emergency preparedness plan.

People with disabilities should be involved in the

planning meetings.

If an emergency occurs and an evacuation is necessary,

the city can tap into all of its resources.

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Preparing for Emergency Response

Perspectives of Emergency Operations

Kevin O’Hara ShanleySenior Emergency Management CoordinatorCity of ChicagoOffice of Emergency Management and Communications

Need for Participatory Planning

• Obligation by Emergency Planners to Include People

with disabilities (National Organization on Disability, 2009)

– Twenty-seven percent (27%) of emergency managers had completed disability-related training (Fox, 2007).

– Sixty-six percent (66%) of counties had no intention of modifying guidelines for people with mobility disabilities (Fox, 2007).

– Limitations in range of disabilities – significant disabilities not represented.

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Know your Emergency Planning Office and Help them Get to Know You

• Identify key office– Understand procedures & people– Review existing plans

• Learn about ways to be involved– Participate in community planning– Contribute to knowledge base around

transportation & disability– Conduct practical exercises

Benefits of Participation to Emergency Planners• Partnerships between emergency planners and

disability-related organizations improve planning and

response (Littman, 2006).

• People with disabilities provide expertise to enhance

emergency planner understanding of issues.

• Partnerships ensure inclusive and realistic plans

(Littman, 2006).

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COMMUNICATION IS KEY

Emergency Public Information

• People with disabilities offer guidance to emergency

planners around communication modes, accessibility,

and notification.– Improves information delivery by emergency

planners.– Enhances emergency response.– Increases responsibility for people with disabilities

to share communication preferences.

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Role of Transit

• Transit agencies and transportation providers can: – Offer emergency planners information about their

capacity and services.– Identify ways that transportation can support

emergency response.– Participate in planning and practical exercises.– Share information about mobility and assistive

devises to support evacuation

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Resources

• State and local emergency planning offices– City of Chicago Mayors Office

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/mopd/supp_info/emergency_preparednessresourcesforpeoplewithdisabilities.html

– City of Boston

http://www.cityofboston.gov/disability/– International Association of Emergency Managers

http://www.iaem.com/search.cfm– National Emergency Management Association

http://www.nemaweb.org/

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Public Transit Emergency Preparedness

Julie BommelmanTransit AdministratorCity of Fargo, North Dakota

PUBLIC TRANSIT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

What is the emergency? Safety Security Vehicle Issue (fire, breakdown) Weather Related Emergency (tornado, blizzard) Flood

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Identify Events and Prepare as Practicable

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

Driver and Staff Training

Outside Speakers/Trainers

Tabletop Exercises

Take Advantage of Vendor Training (lifts, safety

equip)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS – DATA COLLECTION

Identify (plan ahead) Staff/Employee Responsibilities

Have a telephone calling tree and update it semi-annually

List emergency contacts with phone numbers for work,

home and cell, plus email addresses

Provide backup contacts for each aspect of the system:

• Fixed route supervisors

• Paratransit supervisors

• Vehicle maintenance and fueling

• Storage facility access (redundancies)

• Driver’s and operations managers

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS – DATA COLLECTION

Equipment Inventory

Maintain an inventory of available equipment with specific

features:•

Accessibility Vehicle size Fuel Source Seating capacity Wheelchair capacity

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS – DATA COLLECTION

Facility Inventory•

Identify and make arrangements for alternative storage and fueling facilities

Identify drivers who live close and can reach the facility Provide sufficient parking for the buses and drivers Program two-way handheld radios for communication in area for

providers Cellular phones required for long-distance travel Don’t forget the rechargers for radios and cell phones

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS – DATA COLLECTION

Have Current Maps

Storm Tips & Procedures

Update Rider Alerts/Website/Twitter/Facebook

Notices

Fixed Route (pre-determined & published snow

routes)

Paratransit - Registration through Self-Identification

Phone Messages Up to Date

SAFETY

Drivers certified by Red

Cross First Aid

CPR training

Use of first aid/biohazard kits on vehicle

Treat all bodily fluids as infected

Contracted biohazard clean-up service

COLLISION Secure vehicle and

checkSelf, passengers, other drivers

Notify dispatchLocation, injuries, tow truck

Gather witness

information

Assist authorities

Evacuate if necessary

On-Board Equipment

Fire extinguisher

First aid kit

Biohazard Clean-up kit

Triangles

Collision reports and procedures

Emergency exit locations and operation

SECURITYNational Transit Institute DVD’s

Identify suspicious packages/devices

ID of strangers/trespassers

Unlocked doors/unsecured vehicle panels

Shifty or panicked behavior of persons

Video/Audio Equipment on vehicles and in

facilities

SNOW

Predetermined Route Deviations: Approved list provided by city to all

drivers and dispatchers Specifies a shorter fixed-route to

maintain on-time compliance and passenger transfers

Major boarding points and snow emergency routes are provided service wherever possible

TORNADO

Indicative sky conditions

Watch vs. warning terminologies

Dispatch will relay weather messages

Evacuate vehicle to shelter if time allows

Designated shelter locations

FIRE

Evacuate vehicle immediatelyUse belt cutters and assist mobility impaired

Contact dispatch – radio enabled during fire?

Use extinguisher for small, internal incidents

Never open engine compartment

New vehicles have fire suppression systems

FLOOD

Partial

Evacuation – 2009

Event

Preparation – 2010

thru 2013

FLOOD PREPAREDNESS

2009• City of Fargo Transit

Planning started 2-3 weeks prior to flood

Meetings included all management staff

Potential flood areas identified by Engineering

City maps distributed

Plans developed to limit fixed route and paratransit

service

• Paratransit

List of names and phone #’s of paratransit riders

Asked residential providers to transport their clients

MPO prepared map of all paratransit riders

Asked riders to voluntarily limit rides

All private transportation providers contacted

FLOOD PREPAREDNESS

2009

FLOOD EXPERIENCE

• Weather Affected Mobility

Torrential rains followed by blizzard

Travel restrictions encouraged by Mayor

Only one bridge open between ND and MN

Fixed Routes detoured around flooded areas

Fixed Routes cancelled for snow storm

Interstate highways closed

FLOOD EXPERIENCE

• Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

Fargo EOC at Public Safety Building – Transit

Included

Daily department meetings at City Hall

Press releases issued by Public Information Officer

(PIO)

Additional drivers/staff sent from Minneapolis

FLOOD EXPERIENCE- EVACUATON

• Paratransit Helped Evacuate Nursing Homes and

Hospital Moorhead Nursing Home, Assisted & Catered Living

Most Fargo Nursing Homes (over 5,000 residents)

Hospital – ambulances, buses, planes

Long trips to alternative nursing homes and hospitals (fueling

cards/contact other transit providers)

Suggest plastic bags/pillowcases for medications/necessities for riders

Trips to many outlying areas in ND and MN

Some round-trips took 20 hours

FLOOD EXPERIENCE

• Metro Transit Garage

Semi-tractors of sandbags staged at MTG

Frozen sandbags thawed on heated floor

Remote storage of buses at West Fargo Fairgrounds

and Moorhead Youth Hockey Arena

FLOOD EXPERIENCE

• Metro Transit Garage

Paratransit buses staged for emergency evacuation

National Guard and Police Department

Mechanics utilized to transport National Guard

Showers and locker rooms

FLOOD EXPERIENCE

• EOC Partners

Transit

Engineering / Planning

Red Cross

First Link Volunteer Call Center

Law Enforcement – City and County

Health Department

National Guard

FLOOD EXPERIENCE

• City of Fargo Transit

24/7 transportation between designated parking

areas and ‘Sandbag Central’

Sandbagging locations established in neighborhoods

Remote volunteer centers established at churches –

transportation provided to neighborhoods

Transit staff distributed to manage transit at remote

sites

“Code Red” utilized to motivate volunteers

FLOOD EXPERIENCE

• MAT Miles Driven

• 11,864Fargo

• 5,401 Moorhead

• MAT Passengers Transported

• 28,000 (15,000 transported by MAT) Fargo

• 12,000 (5,000 transported by MAT) Moorhead

FLOOD EXPERIENCE

• Sandbag’s made

• 3.5 Million - Fargo

• 2.5 Million – Moorhead

• Miles of dikes

• 48 miles of protection (40 ft in height) – Fargo

• (29 clay, 8 Hesco, .03 Portadam, 10 sandbags)

• 8.14 clay & 9 of sandbags - Moorhead

LESSONS LEARNED

• Radio & Cellular Equipment

Sufficient supply for EOC, Staff, Buses

Preprogrammed for all buses

Recharge regularly / Spares

• Telephone Communication

Identify phone number for return transportation

Posters or handouts inside the buses with phone

number

LESSONS LEARNED

• Site Management at Remote Locations

Determine route for bus/separate route

for trucks

“No parking” signs along street

Food and water transported on buses

Portable restrooms arranged in advance

(logistics)

LESSONS LEARNED

• Volunteers

Utilize volunteers (registration, parking, riding bus)

Don’t load buses with people who haven’t registered

Traffic Flow in and around volunteer sites

Food and Water at volunteer sites

Establish waiting area of sufficient size

Predetermine destinations with EOC / Engineers

Communications between waiting and bus loading areas

LESSONS LEARNED

• Maps & Road Closing

Roads closed for flooding

Dikes erected

Bus route detours

Communicate changes

ASAP

LESSONS LEARNED

• Selection of appropriate

vehicle

School buses are higher off

ground for clearing water

Low-floor transit buses good

for loading elderly

Always have current

inventory, capacity

information

LESSONS LEARNED

• Storage and vehicle issues

Identify locations for vehicle

storage outside flood areas

Fueling away from site

Starting buses left outside &

checking fluids

Parking for drivers

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Establish Emergency Operations

Center

Emergency Response/Preparedness

Team

Calling Trees – Code Red

NIMS (National Incident

Management System)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Work with other agencies – respect boundaries

Place qualified personnel at EOC & remote site locations

Advance written agreements (i.e. transportation providers)

Advance training when possible (mock drills)

Identify Shelters/Respite Locations – traffic controls/access

Functional equipment plan (radios, land lines, computers)

Contact Information

• Julie Bommelman

• City of Fargo Transit Administrator

• 650 23rd St N

• Fargo, ND 58102

• 701-476-6737

• Jbommelman@cityoffargo.com

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Questions

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section questions will be addressed as time permits.

Session Evaluation

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today’s session.

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