Ensuring the Safety and
Security of the Nation’s Public Transportation Systems
In the year since the tragic events of
September 11, 2001, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has
made it a priority to help communities become better prepared to
respond to emergency situations. As part of this effort, FTA
launched an ambitious 5-part security initiative, the framework of
which is based on a systems approach to improving security in any
transit system. The elements include: (1) In-depth security
assessments, (2) development of plans to address deficiencies, (3)
testing the plans in realistic situations, (4) training employees
to understand and implement the plan, and (5) undertaking research
to enhance human capabilities.
Upgrading Transit Security. Over the past year,
teams of experts in security, anti-terrorism, and transit have
conducted security assessments of 36 public transit systems across
the country using a proven threat and vulnerability assessment
methodology. FTA first focused on the Nation’s high risk/high
consequence transit assets—transit systems with tunnels and
stations where large numbers of people converge and where an
attack would cause the greatest disruption to transportation
services. Each assessment identified high risk and high
consequence assets, evaluated security gaps, made recommendations
to reduce security risks to acceptable levels, educated transit
agencies on threat and vulnerability analysis, and reviewed
agencies’ emergency response plans, particularly their degree of
coordination with emergency responders throughout the region.
Included in the 36 assessments were three commuter rail systems,
which FTA assessed in collaboration with the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA).
Based on the findings of these assessments, FTA
is deploying emergency response planning and technical assistance
teams to 60 transit agencies to help them develop and update their
security response plans, develop agency-specific protocols to
respond to different Department of Homeland Security threat
levels, conduct training needs assessments, and develop
agency-specific security awareness materials for employees and
customers. The goal is to ensure that security is as integrally
woven into all facets of system operations as has been done with
safety in recent years. FTA has completed the pilot phase of this
project with three transit agencies and will send teams to at
least 30 transit agencies by the end of Fiscal Year 2003. These
agencies were identified in conjunction with the FBI, which has
assisted FTA in prioritizing and targeting our resources based on
intelligence information about threats and vulnerabilities.
Transit Employee Security Training. The FTA
security assessments reinforced a lesson learned from transit
colleagues in New York and Washington on 9/11—there is no
substitute for security awareness and emergency preparedness
training for transit employees. America’s transit environments are
inherently open and accessible, which means we must rely on and
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cultivate human capabilities
to deter, detect, mitigate, and respond to security threats.
The 400,000+ transit employees throughout
America are the "eyes and ears" of our most important security
system. They are in the best position to identify unusual
packages, suspicious substances, and people who are acting
suspiciously. But they need to acquire skills in what to look for
and how to respond, skills that can be acquired through rigorous
emergency planning, regular emergency testing and drills, and
extensive training.
To ensure that such training is available, FTA
has partnered with the Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) and
the National Transit Institute (NTI) to expand course offerings on
security to a broader audience. FTA, in conjunction with NTI, has
also launched an aggressive nationwide schedule to deliver
comprehensive security awareness courses targeted to frontline
transit employees and supervisors free of charge. Course offerings
include security planning, weapons of mass destruction, bus and
rail hijacking, and crime prevention through environmental design.
Over the next several months, FTA also plans to
launch a new program, including training materials, posters,
pocket cards, brochures, and other materials to teach and remind
transit workers about what to look for, how to respond to a
threat, and whom to notify. FTA will be working with industry
stakeholders, including transit unions, to leverage the work they
have done in this area to develop and deliver these materials.
Emergency Response Capability. Full-scale
drills reinforce emergency response procedures and help
communities work out specific details and backup plans. Effective
response must be an anti-terrorism tool. To be ready to respond,
transit agencies need written emergency response plans that
include a unified command structure, and the must conduct
realistic drills that are specific to their own operations. To
assist in this effort, FTA has awarded 93 grants to fund emergency
response drills. One important condition of these grants is that
the drills must include the participation of local and regional
police, fire, and emergency response agencies.
In addition to providing grants for emergency
response drills that include these important community responders,
FTA is taking the lead to bring these key players together at
emergency response forums around the country. With the eager
participation and support of elected officials and emergency
response organizations, FTA is conducting 17 "Connecting
Communities Emergency Preparedness and Security Forums" around the
country to promote regional collaboration and coordination among
emergency service responders and transit agencies. In the eight
2-day forums held through September 2002, more than 1,200 transit
leaders, law enforcement, fire, and medical re-
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