Detroit, MI – U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Michael P. Jackson and Federal Transit Administrator Jennifer L. Dorn will open the Federal Transit Administration’s “Connecting Communities: Emergency Preparedness and Security Forum” in Detroit on October 16-17.
“Public transportation is an important component of our Nation’s emergency response and evacuation plans in the event of natural disasters or terrorist incidents,” said Deputy Secretary Jackson. “Transit vehicles often serve not only as a means of moving people away from affected areas, but also as an important means to transport emergency workers to the site or as a temporary shelter for both workers and victims.”
The forums, which will continue in other U.S. cities through early 2003, have been created in cooperation with FTA’s partners, the American Public Transportation Association and the Federal Railroad Administration. The FTA has been working with the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) to host the forum. Participating transit agencies will work with regional emergency responders to determine the effectiveness of interagency response plans for metro Detroit.
FTA Administrator Dorn noted, “It is critical that all cities integrate transit agencies into their emergency response plans. Using the successful evacuation of the transit stations below the World Trade Center as a benchmark, our goal with the forums is to demonstrate the important role that transit plays in crisis situations. When disaster strikes, the public demands an expert team, delivering a coordinated response across traditional boundaries.”
“Detroit’s unique location on the international border of Canada has put us on the frontline of homeland security,” states DDOT Director Claryce Gibbons-Allen. “This forum is essential and has a direct connection to Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick’s 10-Point Homeland Security Plan.”
FTA’s five-part Security Initiative includes evaluating threats and vulnerabilities through a security assessment; developing a plan to address vulnerabilities; testing the plan in realistic situations; training employees to understand and implement the plan; and undertaking research to enhance human capabilities.
Registration for the forums is being offered at no charge; however, participants must pre-register online. The forums are led by instructors who take participants through hands-on exercises, including discussions, various emergency scenarios and group break-out sessions. To date, forums have been held in Orlando, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Seattle, Washington; San Jose, California; San Francisco, California; Washington, DC; Chicago, Illinois; and St. Louis, Missouri.
Future scheduled forums are October 30-31 in Denver; November 4-5 in Houston, TX; November 6-7 in Dallas, TX; and December 5-6 in Charlotte. Other forums cities with dates to be determined are: Hartford, CT; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; and San Diego, CA.
For more information on the forums, visit www.transit-safety.volpe.dot.gov.
