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U.S. Department
of Transportation
Federal Transit
Administration
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Administrator
July 9, 2007 |
400 Seventh St.. S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
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Dear Colleague:
I am pleased to enclose a new Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
publication entitled Security and Emergency Management Technical Assistance
for the Top 50 Transit Agencies Final Report.
Between May 2002 and July 2006, FTA provided on-site technical assistance to
the Top 50 transit agencies through its Security and Emergency Management
Technical Assistance Program (SEMTAP). This Top 50 SEMTAP Final Report includes
the program background and scope, methodology used, findings and results
gathered during technical assistance visits, and a description of the next
generation technical assistance program.
The purpose and scope of FTA's Top 50 SEMTAP included a review of the transit
agency's environment for security and emergency management; recommendations to
improve security documents; and methods to enhance security and emergency
management procedures, training, and counter-terrorism tools. In addition, the
Top 50 SEMTAP provided technical assistance for planning, conducting and
critiquing emergency tabletop exercises and drills; provided sample materials
for security briefings and public awareness campaigns; and addressed needs on
conducting threat and vulnerability assessments.
The Top 50 SEMTAP Final Report provides industry observations gleaned through
the on-site assessments conducted at the 50 transit agencies. It also describes
how guidance products developed for individual transit agencies were expanded
into industry-wide products, such as immediate actions for frontline transit
employees and threat level protective measures.
The final chapter of the report describes the transitional process to FTA's
next generation SEMTAP, including the application of a "Maturity Model" to help
identify and prioritize the next set of "gap products" intended to fill industry
needs.
For your convenience, additional copies of this final report are available
for downloading at FTA's Safety and Security website:
http://transit-safety.volpe.dot.gov/Publications/order/singledoc.asp?docid=540
In support of U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters'
leadership position that "despite the progress we have made, transportation
safety and security are a greater concern than ever before," FTA will, in
partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, continue to provide
industry guidance for improving our Nation's transit security and emergency
management. Your responses and ideas, as our work continues for safe and secure
transit, are greatly valued.
Sincerely,
James S. Simpson
