Office of Operations
21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies

Section 6.0. Checklist for Transportation Professionals Involved in National Special Security Events

*Sections highlighted in pink and designated by a "Yes" are NSSE-specific. 

PRE-NSSE PLANNING AND PREPAREDNESS
NSSE-Specific Applies? If Checked Tips/Examples Date Completed User Notes
Coordination
Yes empty check box
  • Coordinate with other cities who have previously hosted NSSEs to learn the questions to ask up front and what to expect
  • Consider past occurrences of similar NSSEs or other special events at the same venue(s) in addition to past occurrences of NSSEs in other areas
  • Know your counterparts in your sister agencies and cities and counties
   
No empty check box
  • Identify and engage stakeholders likely to participate in NSSE planning and operations
  • Identify potential NSSE operations stakeholders, community interest stakeholders, and  support stakeholders
  • Develop contact lists based on information provided by the stakeholders
  • To discourage price gouging, meet with the cab companies to inform them of the rules related to the NSSE
   
No empty check box
  • Organize an internal kick-off meeting with members of the state and local government to share information and begin setting up internal committees
  • Understand that each agency operates in a manner that is consistent with its own goals and operational concepts
   
No empty check box
  • Assign representatives to attend those committees
  • Invite the railroads to participate in committees
   
Yes empty check box
  • Involve practitioners that handled previous or like NSSEs or other special events 
     
No empty check box
  • Establish and maintain effective public safety partnerships early on in the planning process to give ample time for staff and leadership to develop trust of each other and understand unique needs
  • Participate on the traffic, public works, and public relations teams
   
No empty check box
  • Establish formal, institutionalized processes for coordinating and validating plans among partners, including processes for establishing common planning assumptions and identifying interdependencies among plans
  • Ensure coordination between the transportation roadside and the transit system (e.g., in terms of how to best accommodate buses) and encourage the use of public transit
  • Consolidate all command elements in one facility
  • Use the ICS and Unified Command (UC) to minimize confusion of command and control by all agencies
   
No empty check box
  • Hold regular coordination meetings in advance of the NSSE among stakeholders
  • Coordination meetings provide the opportunity not only to coordinate upcoming NSSEs and other special events, but also to cement relationships among the agencies and groups that participate in the meetings.  Organized meetings where the participants get to know each other and learn how to communicate and work together set the stage for the day-of-NSSE activities
   
No empty check box
  • Coordinate with construction programs at the state, county, and local levels to ensure that there are no planned construction projects scheduled to occur on the day of the NSSE and if so, what mitigation will be required
  • Review existing road construction contracts to identify provisions for stopping road construction during special events
   
No empty check box
  • Identify necessary agreements and permit requirements
     
Communication
No empty check box
  • Establish communications protocol
  • Consider what information should be shared by traffic management team personnel and the method for information exchange
   
No empty check box
  • Identify and select a secure information sharing system/tool to share draft plans, information, and updates among planners throughout the NSSE planning process
  • Run regular communication tests to ensure equipment works and contact information is current
   
No empty check box
  • Specify agency and inter-agency contact information
   
No empty check box
  • Evaluate the use of radio channels/ frequencies, trunked radio systems, and/or cellular phones
     
No empty check box
  • Evaluate linkages between venue sites, transportation management center, and command post, as applicable
     
No empty check box
  • Test all wire line and wireless communications and radio frequencies expected to be used
  • Consider testing for problems as far in advance of the NSSE as possible so that alternatives can be identified and developed
   
No empty check box
  • Test backup communication channels
   
Internal Communication
Yes empty check box
  • Get early buy-in from senior leadership
     
No empty check box
  • Provide regular briefings to senior leadership to keep them engaged and informed
     
External Communication (with partners)
No empty check box
  • Develop contact lists and share with all agencies involved in the NSSE
  • Contact list should include several methods to make contact (e.g., land line phone, cell phone, e-mail address, pager)
   
No empty check box
  • Prepare a well-developed communications plan for the TMC/Command Center
  • The TMC coordinates with the EOC, which coordinates with the JIC as needed.  Field personnel communicate information to the TMC as needed for coordination.
   
No empty check box
  • Ensure that each group and command center has communications plans and operations manuals
     
Yes empty check box
  • Obtain and share information from law enforcement personnel among the team including the US Secret Service
  • Remind truck drivers that law enforcement will be out doing random security checks of all commercial vehicles
   
No empty check box
  • Work with the local hospitals to ensure they are aware of road closures so they can advise their ambulance drivers to reorient their access routes
     
No empty check box
  • Make sure the Fire Department and EMS are aware of road closures well in advance so that they can adjust operations
     
Transportation Plan
No empty check box
  • Review and build on existing transportation plans for special events and for emergency operations
  • From previous NSSEs or other special events, review:
    • Documented measures of effectiveness
    • Participant (traffic management team, patron, public) debriefings and surveys
    • Minutes of post-NSSE or other special event debriefings
    • Post-NSSE or other special event reports such as AARs
   
No empty check box
  • Review operations strategies and resource allocations used in previous special events in the region, including NSSEs
     
Yes empty check box
  • Assess event-oriented risks and external factors affecting the operation of previous NSSEs
     
Yes empty check box
  • Obtain information on contingency scenarios implemented in previous events, including NSSEs
  • Plan for any ancillary events during the NSSE
   
Yes empty check box
  • Evaluate successful tools, techniques, and operations strategies used in previous events, including NSSEs, for potential application
  •  Ask the right questions up front to help in planning for the NSSE
   
No empty check box
  • Work with regional partners to establish critical parameters for the development of plans, including a timeline for plan development and common planning assumptions that allow sufficient time to identify gaps among plans, conduct any necessary exercises, and provide training to senior officials and key operational personnel
  • Integrate the NIMS/ICS early on into all planning and execution efforts
   
Yes empty check box
  • Gather information on travelers to/from the NSSE
  • Contacting bus companies and hotel associations in advance of the NSSE will help determine the number of people coming to an NSSE from out of town and assist with planning decisions
  • NSSE delegate and dignitary transportation plans should not be public and should be managed/coordinated with the TMC in real time
  • Determine whether limousines will play a big part in providing transportation and designate a staging area for them
   
No empty check box
  • Develop common plan templates to promote the regional integration and coordination of plans
  • Develop a single Incident Action Plan and Situation Report format

 

   
Yes empty check box
  • Prepare a traffic control plan to provide route guidance for NSSE venue(s) ingress and egress traffic in coordination with Secret Service security zones
  • Indicate in the traffic control plan which law enforcement agency should close which roads during peak period traffic (e.g., for motorcades as dignitaries are driven to the NSSE)
  • Plans should be flexible to be modified “just in time” as conditions require
   
No empty check box
  • Include all ESFs/Disciplines
     
Yes empty check box
  • Ensure the plan addresses emergency access to the major medical centers
  • Review and coordinate processes that allow access to closed roads during NSSEs.  In conducting this review, Emergency Support Function-1 Transportation (ESF-1) should leverage planned efforts to better incorporate modeling to assess and exercise road closing scenarios in NSSEs.
  • Evaluate options for improving modeling of the impacts of surface transportation plans during NSSEs
   
Yes empty check box
  • Establish a secure perimeter, or zones, around the NSSE venue(s) with the US Secret Service and law enforcement based on risk assessments, size of the NSSE, attending dignitaries, etc.
  • Do not allow buses in the secure zone
  • Have Secret Service investigate all active construction projects to check their security.  Have contractors with active projects along key routes shut down during the NSSE.
  • Work with building owners and parking garage owners for those structures that have line of sight into the NSSE area
   
No empty check box
  • Consider road and transit alternatives that can handle the increase in usage due to the NSSE and are accessible to the elderly and persons with disabilities
  • Create a bus lane—to allow transfer of passengers from rail lines to buses if rail lines need to be closed for the NSSE
  • Create taxi and bus staging areas
   
No empty check box
  • Coordinate all road closure information with transportation officials
     
No empty check box
  • Coordinate traffic detours with local law enforcement agencies
  • Depending on the nature and location of the NSSE, this coordination may involve multiple local law enforcement agencies
   
No empty check box
  • Include provisions for delivery of human services and first aid to passengers in case of inclement weather in the bus parking and passenger transit plans for NSSEs, through the deployment of additional aid stations or the re-positioning of existing stations
     
No empty check box
  • Develop a contingency plan for evacuation of the venue
  • Pre-planning evacuation-related messages for dynamic message signs and pre-recording HAR messages are components of an evacuation plan.  It is also important to know the chain of command and plan for communication among emergency responders in case contingency measures need to be implemented. 
  • Develop a plan in case of a terrorist event in the area.  Have alternate staging areas in case primary staging areas are impacted
   
No empty check box
  • Determine areas for parking for support personnel, DOT/ DPW, police, fire/EMS, and others staffing the NSSE, as well as for support equipment, such as ambulances
     
No empty check box
  • Widely distribute detailed traffic/transportation plans to the EOC and other cooperating agencies
     
Staffing
Yes empty check box
  • Identify available personnel and equipment to meet the needs and identify supplemental resources needed and where to obtain them
  • If time/scheduling allows, issue a notice a few months in advance of an NSSE that no vacations are allowed for certain groups of people during the NSSE (work with the union as required on the shift changes)
  • Keep police and staff on very extended stays to maintain constant eyes and as shifting staff in and out could present a security issue
  • Bring in people from other district areas for heavy equipment in case it is necessary to close ramp systems to flush out the city in case of an evacuation
  • Have sufficient motorcycle police available and assigned for escorts
   
No empty check box
  • Identify operations center locations and associated staffing
     
No empty check box
  • Plan for additional surge capacity for Public Works and Public Works related tasks
     
No empty check box
  • Plan for the use of additional staff to work as runners and help with food, preparing reports, etc.
     
Training
Yes empty check box
  • Establish method(s) for training staff
  • Have staff attend the FHWA’s planned special event conference and other training including ICS
  • Ask to participate in the FEMA training for NSSEs
  • Invite those who managed previous NSSEs to speak during training
   
No empty check box
  • Ensure NIMS/NRF adherence
  • Train transportation staff in NIMS and ICS alongside traditional first responders
   
No empty check box
  • Include in the training all the agencies that will operate together as early in the process as possible
  • Continued support of multi-agency training and exercise initiatives on a regional basis will provide the opportunity to build on the relationships and teamwork that have been developed in the preparation and response to the NSSE
   
No empty check box
  • Identify the stakeholders who will participate in the exercise
  • Ensure the right people come to training
   
No empty check box
  • Develop a script for the exercise
  • Test written assumptions in the traffic management plan
  • Examine how agencies react to different scenarios
  • Evaluate security concerns and other potential risks
   
No empty check box
  • Train transportation personnel on how to work in an operations center to include reporting and communications
  • Test interagency communications
  • Simulate command post operations.  Discuss information gathering and dissemination
   
No empty check box
  • Provide a timeline for the exercise to play-out
     
No empty check box
  • Identify reviewers who will watch the exercise and take notes
     
Yes empty check box
  • Conduct training and tabletop exercises
  • Conduct a full-scale exercise one month prior to the NSSE to provide a similar setup and operation
   
No empty check box
  • Provide time to review the exercise after it is conducted
  • Review deployment of personnel and equipment
  • Identify what must be changed and how the traffic management plan can be improved
   
No empty check box
  • Modify the traffic management plan based on what was learned during the exercise
     
No empty check box
  • Develop a just-in-time training program
  • Establish an expedited training program for those individuals who arrive to help at the last minute.  Field guides can facilitate the process.
   
Credentialing
Yes empty check box
  • Determine whether Secret Service clearances or other credentials will be needed
  • Don’t underestimate the dynamics and demand for credentialing.  Plan for more resources in this area than you think you might need. 
  • Invite the lead Secret Service person to speak at and/or tour the TMC
   
Yes empty check box
  • Identify early on those staff required to obtain clearances and initiate that process
  • Require clearances for everyone including grounds keepers and parks and recreation.  Use perimeter security and magnetometers.
  • Require management to also get clearances along with the staff in Mobile Command Centers
  • Request that credentialed staff have appropriate training and ensure they have it prior to the NSSE
  • Some operations centers may require staff to undergo a background check to operate within that center
   
Resources and Costs
Yes empty check box
  • Identify resources and funding available to agencies well in advance of the NSSE
  • Be mindful of economic realities and fiscal constraints to deliver a positive financial impact to the city and community
  • Tracking resources can help identify what resources need to be added to support the NSSE
   
Yes empty check box
  • Involve state agencies early in the process to offer a capability briefing on resources, assets, and personnel
  • Have the lead elected official brief their Council/Board on any NSSE that may use local resources so that elected officials have a chance to review expenditures in the pre-NSSE planning
   
Yes empty check box
  • Identify equipment needs
  • Plan for adequate resources available to quickly remove illegally parked vehicles
  • Install Qwick Kurb or use “zipper lane” to establish emergency/bus lanes
  • Deploy licensed cabs outside the NSSE security zones
   
No empty check box
  • Identify staging areas to ensure safe and effective set up of equipment
  • Mobile teams that are strategically located around the NSSE venue(s) and are prepared with resources, allowing them to adjust road closures, clear incidents, and address traffic detour issues, will improve response times and alleviate unnecessary delays 
   
No empty check box
  • Test function of remote communications
  • Lack of or interrupted cellular service on the day of the NSSE may not only affect communications but also the ability to communicate remotely with roadside devices
  • Cellular phone systems may overload during an NSSE that draws a large number of people, especially if a problem occurs during the NSSE, which causes many NSSE patrons to use their mobile phones
  • Communications in rural areas may be hindered by weak or nonexistent cellular or radio signals
   
No empty check box
  • Evaluate contingencies such as manual operation of equipment
     
Yes empty check box
  • Develop a camera system that provides access into each involved agency’s cameras (airports, highway, transit system, turnpike, as well as those set up in the city for security)
  • Combine all traffic and security cameras onto a fiber system and bring the images to each command center location.  There could be issues if there is no system to pull them all together.  Set up a process for one piece of software that can access all cameras. 
  • The National Emergency Management Network incident tracking and mapping software allows personnel to quickly and easily pre-plan graphically for the potential for protests, and by integrating location information and pictures inside and outside buildings, can allow officers to be prepared in case protests materialize
   
No empty check box
  • Use and put portable dynamic message signs in place several days prior to the start of an NSSE to inform motorists of the NSSE and give them sufficient time to find and become familiar with alternate routes
  • Use message boards at key Interstate junctions and HAR systems to notify the commercial motor vehicle community of the inability to travel through the city during the NSSE
  • Use dynamic message signs; HAR; 511 (if available in your region); fixed and portable devices
  • Add signs in advance for taxis, buses, and limos to direct them to staging locations
   
No empty check box
  • Test equipment thoroughly before the day of the NSSE
     
No empty check box
  • Thoroughly track all costs to seek reimbursement
  • Consider assigning someone who is business focused to track resources and costs as their main duty
   
Outreach
Yes empty check box
  • Identify and engage stakeholders potentially participating in NSSE planning and operations or affected by the NSSE
  • Develop a local host committee including people from local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, taxis, buses, etc. 
  • Conduct a “road show” tour with transportation officials, law enforcement, and the NSSE planners to provide information on plans for the NSSE to civic groups, local police and fire, etc.
  • Work with the local trucking association to get the word out about the NSSE transportation plan  ahead of time
  • Encourage businesses to work out of satellite locations
  • Conduct outreach to public and private employers related to shift changes 
   
No empty check box
  • Develop a plan for interaction with the media
  • Establish direct contact with the media in terms of communication and distribution of accurate information to the public
   
No empty check box
  • Develop a plan for providing information to the public
  • Facilitate outreach early and often
  • After finalization of the transportation plan, conduct a press conference to tell the public about the plan
  • Get the word out days before the NSSE, so that people know and are excited about it
  • Let businesses know that if they are in the security perimeter, they will not have access to their businesses during the NSSE
   
No empty check box
  • Take time to plan message content for dynamic message signs
  • By reviewing the quality, accuracy, and impact of pre-NSSE message content on the travel patterns of a community, planners can craft messages that maximize the value of the dynamic message signs to both local and visiting motorists
   
Yes empty check box
  • Ensure early notification of traffic detours and road closures through dynamic message signs and general outreach to the media
  • Work with the NSSE Joint Communications Officer to develop and share road closure information with the public
   

*Sections highlighted in pink and designated by a "Yes" are NSSE-specific. 

DAY-OF-THE-NSSE EXECUTION
NSSE-Specific Applies? If Checked Tips/Examples Date Completed User Notes
Coordination
No empty check box
  • Adopt a formal management process to establish agency functional responsibilities, implement a chain-of-command, and clarify decision-making to ensure successful traffic management plan deployment
     
No empty check box
  • Apply UC to create an integrated traffic management team consisting of involved multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional stakeholders
  • The traffic management team includes not only many of those stakeholders that have been involved during the NSSE operations planning phase, but all those who may be involved for the first time on the day of the NSSE.  This includes other NSSE support stakeholders (e.g., traffic control contractors), other stakeholder representatives (e.g., emergency management agency), and volunteer personnel
   
No empty check box
  • Identify agency operations managers and field personnel comprising the interagency traffic management team
     
Yes empty check box
  • Designate agency representatives in UC, i.e., representing all involved agencies with jurisdictional or functional authority and charged with making consensus decisions under UC
  • Two approaches for managing a large venue site area characteristic of NSSEs include dividing the site into distinct geographic areas and either (1) assigning a different agency(s) with the same functional authority(s) to each of the areas, and establishing a UC structure consisting of a representative from  each involved agency or (2) establishing a UC structure for each defined area for the purpose of implementing tactical operations applicable to that area, provided a Unified Area Command exists for managing the overall NSSE objectives and strategies.
   
Yes empty check box
  • Identify stakeholders responsible for managing traffic on the day of the NSSE
  • Internal DOT/DPW coordination will include support for additional traffic detours/road closures, incident management issues, and traffic maintenance, monitoring, and timing
  • Work with NSSE organizers to use “back door” routes that few people know of as a way to get dignitaries to and from the NSSE.  Have that access be separate from public access into the facility.
   
No empty check box
  • Issue, record, and track coordination requests at the local EOC
  • WebEOC® can enable all centers to remain engaged in operational issues and preparedness and provide a common interface for coordination.  Develop a process for WebEOC first, then acquire and implement the software.  Provide guidance on what to input into WebEOC, not just how to input it. 
  • The DOT/DPW will experience most of its external coordination on the day of the NSSE in the initial hours of set-up.
   
Communication with Partners
Yes empty check box
  • Develop briefing schedule as necessary based on traffic management team composition and characteristics of the NSSE
  • Hold daily conference calls to coordinate centers
  • Briefing meetings may take place at regular intervals during expected lulls in activity during the NSSE, at the end of each day for a multi-day NSSE, and/or at the end of a shift change in the command center
   
No empty check box
  • Provide management updates
  • Confirm information flow before accepting it as fact
   
Transportation Plan
No empty check box
  • Establish multi-agency command post
  • A permanent TMC may serve as the primary command post as many of the communications resources and other needed tools are already in place at the TMC
  • Advantages of a single command post include: (1) key agencies are represented in a single location and (2) communications among agencies are simplified
   
No empty check box
  • Determine location of command post(s)
     
No empty check box
  • Determine which command post will take the lead
     
No empty check box
  • Establish agency-specific or function-specific command posts
  • Mobile command posts represent secondary, agency-specific command posts and are common for larger NSSEs for more effective management of field operations and better span-of-control
  • Agencies operating a secondary command post still staff a ranking representative at the interagency (primary) command post
  • An advantage of secondary command posts is that the location of NSSE management can be more easily switched if a problem develops at the primary command post
   
Yes empty check box
  • Identify surveillance methods
  • Surveillance methods include automated techniques (closed-circuit television) or manual methods (field personnel observation and reporting)
  • Overhead helicopter surveillance may also be conducted
  • Agency staff or field technicians may conduct on-site observations during NSSEs to identify problem areas and provide on-site assistance and real-time communication with the transportation operation managers
   
No empty check box
  • Determine use(s) of surveillance information
  • Surveillance information may be used to: (1) measure traffic and environmental conditions in real-time, (2) make control decisions, (3) disseminate traveler information, and (4) monitor and evaluate system and plan performance
   
Yes empty check box
  • Activate traffic surveillance plan
  • Clear out cars in parking garages and have Secret Service and the police do sweeps for any buildings that have line of sight into the NSSE area
  • Sweep delegate buses and place a uniformed officer on board.  Also sweep transit buses and keep them in a secure parking area when not in operation.
  • Have Secret Service use bomb dogs to check vehicles in the area of the NSSE
  • Conduct random searches of all baggage, briefcases, packs, and boxes especially those on public  transit and entering the NSSE venue(s)
  • Utilize volunteers to serve as local ambassadors and provide NSSE patron assistance
  • Be flexible; NSSEs are dynamic
  • Keep a diary (documentation)
   
No empty check box
  • Follow established protocols for recording and clearing a traffic incident
     
No empty check box
  • Secure road construction work zones
     
No empty check box
  • Have contact information for the road construction superintendent or local personnel on hand
     
No empty check box
  • Report any suspicious activity to the appropriate agency
  • Follow up on issues; they don’t go away
   
Yes empty check box
  • Implement traffic control per  traffic control plans for ingress
  • Consider stopping or re-routing freight traffic, both rail and highway, in the area when dignitaries are at the NSSE venues
   
No empty check box
  • Change traffic control to normal per the traffic control plan.  Change traffic control to egress per the traffic control plan once the NSSE is completed
     
Yes empty check box
  • Establish applications for performance measures
  • Apply performance measures to: (1) identify locations or corridors with poor performance, (2) identify potential causes and associated remedies, (3) identify specific areas that require improvements / enhancements for future NSSEs and other special events, (4) provide information to decision-makers and the public, and (5) provide input to post-NSSE evaluation
   
No empty check box
  • Determine statistics or measures that can be obtained from traffic monitoring
  • Example transportation system performance measures include congestion delay, travel time, travel speed, change in travel mode, and change in transit ridership
   
Staffing
No empty check box
  • Utilize needed personnel resources and scheduling
  • Most day-of-NSSE field personnel will work in areas different from their normal, day-to-day work location
  • Depending on the length of the NSSE, a second shift may have to report to handle egress
  • Consider how quickly staff and other resources can be deployed in case the NSSE ends sooner than expected, thus causing early departures
  • Have extra safety/service patrols and tow trucks staffed throughout the NSSE to keep traffic moving
  • Extend safety/service patrol hours during the NSSE
  • Station personnel at the multi-agency coordination center
  • Staff the Incident Command Center in the TMC 24/7 throughout the NSSE
   
No empty check box
  • Have the same core members of the planning group available to modify the plan as necessary
     
Yes empty check box
  • Coordinate feeding and provision of water to staff working at the NSSE
  • Provide food and water for workers at the NSSE where access and security are of higher concern
   
No empty check box
  • Report any unusual incidents or concerns to the next shift as they arrive for duty
     
Training
No empty check box
  • Ensure staff members are trained on how to use communications devices as well as the appropriate etiquette
     
No empty check box
  • Conduct just-in-time training for staff who arrive to help at the last minute
     
Credentialing
Yes empty check box
  • Ensure all staff arriving for work at the NSSE display the proper credentials for the area where they are assigned to work
     
Resources
No empty check box
  • Determine the scope and amount of non-personnel resources required on the day of the NSSE
     
No empty check box
  • Evaluate needed personnel resources and scheduling
  • Personnel scheduling considerations include: (1) the type and quantity of skilled personnel needed, (2) where personnel should be deployed, and (3) the responsibilities of individual personnel
   
No empty check box
  • Identify resources in advance in case the traffic management team needs more resources than planned to implement the traffic management plan
  • Resources need to be available during the periods of NSSE ingress, the NSSE itself, and NSSE egress
   
Yes empty check box
  • Utilize radio systems, cellular phones, and traffic cameras for NSSE surveillance and communications
  •  Use cameras to help determine whether threats are real
   
No empty check box
  • Evaluate capacity and demand of cellular service in the vicinity of the NSSE venue on the day-of-NSSE
     
No empty check box
  • Monitor traffic flow and amend traffic plan on site and in real time as necessary
  • Use state or regional safety/service patrols to patrol the roadways around the NSSE, borrowing from other agencies if necessary
  • Monitor major arterials and alternate routes using traffic cameras
  • Set temporary signs, barricades, cones and other traffic control devices
  • Maintain traffic control devices as they may be knocked down or blown over
   
No empty check box
  • Secure staging areas from both the public and partner agencies to ensure equipment remains under the DOT/DPW’s control
     
No empty check box
  • Ensure field teams have access to staged equipment and keep it replenished for other shifts
     
No empty check box
  • Determine methods for collecting data used to compute performance measures
  • Data collection methods include: (1) road sensors for measuring traffic flow parameters, (2) vehicle probes for collecting data on travel times and origin-destination information, (3) CCTV systems for viewing real time video images of the roadway, (4) traffic signal and system detectors to measure congestion on streets, (5) manual methods for collecting traffic (volume/speed) and parking (demand/occupancy) data
   
No empty check box
  • Assess need and method for archiving collected data
     
No empty check box
  • Activate data collection
     
No empty check box
  • Track time and finances
     
No empty check box
  • Have the operations centers create a log of all activities/steps taken
     
Outreach
No empty check box
  • Disseminate any adjustments to road closures and traffic detours to the media and external partners at the federal, state, and local levels
  • Send media alerts and have media distribute information
   
No empty check box
  • Use ATIS devices (DMS, 511) to alert motorists to road closures, detours, traffic conditions, traffic incidents, etc. 
  • Send an e-mail blast to businesses and workers in the area likely to be affected by the NSSE to inform them on road closures
  • Use Twitter™ or other social media resources  to report on road closures
   
POST-NSSE REVIEW/AFTER-ACTION
NSSE-Specific Applies? If Checked Tips/Examples Date Completed User Notes
Coordination
No empty check box
  • Determine if a multi-agency AAR will be scheduled and identify necessary participants
  • Request feedback from other agencies on how they worked together to plan for future NSSEs and other special events

 

 

Resources
No empty check box
  • Inventory supplies and equipment used for the NSSE and restock and repair as needed
  • Use the resource list developed pre-NSSE and used the day-of-the-NSSE as the baseline document

 

 

Training
No empty check box
  • Review pre-NSSE training to determine whether revisions are needed or additional staff need training for future NSSEs and other special events
  • Review the NSSE activity log to analyze how the pre-NSSE training was applied during the NSSE
   
Clean-up
No empty check box
  • Coordinate the removal of items (e.g., viewing stands) and garbage
     
No empty check box
  • Reinstall public assets (e.g., traffic signals and garbage cans)
     
Re-opening Closures
No empty check box
  • Coordinate the re-opening of roads with local law enforcement
     
No empty check box
  • Ensure personnel are protected until every aspect of installation, garbage removal, and road re-opening, etc. is completed safely
     
After-Action Reports (AARs)
No empty check box
  • Review and compile internal measures of effectiveness (MOEs) for stakeholder evaluation and external MOEs identifiable by the public
  • An after-action or post-NSSE review provides an opportunity to receive feedback from people involved in all facets of an NSSE, from on-site field staff, to TMC staff, to the general public
  • Such reviews enable planners to identify underutilized capacity and think about how to utilize that capacity to its fullest for the next NSSE
   
No empty check box
  • Interview traffic management team personnel (supervisors and personnel) on their observation of operations and implementation of their assignment
  • Interview questions may be developed and communicated to field personnel prior to the day of the NSSE to make field personnel aware of requested observations of specific facilities or locations on the day of the NSSE
   
No empty check box
  • Obtain a log and chronology of traffic management team activities
     
No empty check box
  • Ensure shift reports are complete so they can be compiled into a complete AAR
     
No empty check box
  • Schedule a post-NSSE debriefing meeting
  • The debrief meeting should be scheduled at least a few days after the NSSE, giving traffic management team members time to absorb what took place during the NSSE and an opportunity to put it into perspective; however, the meeting should not be delayed too long after the NSSE so memories of what took place remain fresh
   
No empty check box
  • Identify key successes and lessons learned
     
No empty check box
  • Determine method of organizing the AAR
     
No empty check box
  • Develop an AAR of each NSSE, both to identify shortcomings as well as to determine what worked well so successful practices can be expanded or used for future NSSEs and other special events
     
No empty check box
  • Document planning products, actual day of NSSE operations, and post-NSSE evaluation activities
     
No empty check box
  • Base qualitative analysis on results of field personnel debriefing, NSSE patron survey, and public  survey if available
  • Key topics of a qualitative evaluation include: (1) quality of pre-NSSE information, (2) quality of day-of-NSSE information, (3) direction provided to the NSSE and at the venue, (4) traffic management at the site, and (5) egress from the venue
   
Reporting Costs
No empty check box
  • Thoroughly track all costs to seek reimbursement
  • Expenses include staffing, overtime expenses, costs of deploying equipment, equipment rental costs, additional communications expenses, and expenses for public information efforts
   
No empty check box
  • Examine the operational cost of managing the NSSE
  • Operational cost analyses may assist stakeholders in identifying potential cost-saving resource deployment strategies for the next NSSE occurrence
   
No empty check box
  • Report costs by agency, task/category, and/or traffic management plan component, including public transit (implementation)
  • If a cost share agreement exists with the NSSE organizer, ensure that the NSSE organizer is aware of estimated costs and get agreement on cost estimate well before start of planning for the next NSSE
  • The quantitative evaluation is very useful when conducting a cost/benefit analysis of activities for the NSSE as it serves to justify resource allocations for the next NSSE occurrence
   
Messaging
No empty check box
  • Provide timely information to the public about how any continued NSSE security measures, road closures, and traffic delays will affect travelers
  • Information sharing should extend to the general public post-NSSE, particularly regarding post-NSSE operations that may impact citizens
   
No empty check box
  • Disseminate information about road re-openings or transportation-related issues
  • Information about road re-openings or transportation-related issues should be disseminated as efficiently as they were pre-NSSE and during the NSSE
   

May 2011
Publication #FHWA-HOP-11-012