Richard Ball – Interim Chief
City of Jacksonville, Traffic Engineering Division
1007 Superior St.
Jacksonville, FL 32254
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
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Evacuation Plan Status: What is the status of your agency’s existing evacuation plan? For example, when was it first developed and when was it last revised? Has it ever been used in an actual emergency situation? Who has the authority to issue evacuation orders?
The City of Jacksonville Emergency Operation Center currently has an emergency response plan addressing various natural and manmade emergencies with specific focus on hurricane response. The emergency response plan has been in place for 10 years and has been used in an actual hurricane evacuation. That hurricane did not cause major damage. The Mayor’s Office of Jacksonville has the authority to issue evacuation orders. -
Scope of the Plan: What is the scope of the plan with regard to geographic coverage, agency involvement, and presence of transportation elements? Are plans for evacuation transportation management separate from or a part of the general emergency plan?
The emergency response plan covers all of Duvall-County including four major communities. The evacuation plan is addressed generally in the emergency response plan. -
Plan Scenarios: What types of scenarios are the plans meant to address? Can they be applied to no-notice, advance-notice, and/or special event emergency evacuations? Do they have provisions for naturally occurring, accidental, and/or terrorist events?
The emergency response plan is meant to address hurricanes primarily. Meanwhile, the plan also prepares for other types of emergencies, such as chemical leaks, fire, and terrorism attacks. -
Capacity Needs and Availability: Have any models, computer simulations, or other calculations been performed to estimate capacity needs of the transportation system during an evacuation? How much additional capacity is expected to result from emergency measures that are to be put in place (e.g., contraflow lanes, signal pattern changes)?
The City does consider capacity enhancement methods such as freeway contraflow lanes and traffic control. The evacuation capacity is estimated through traditional traffic engineering rules and manuals. -
Traffic Control Practices: What is the role of transportation agencies in traffic management and control? What traffic control practices are designated by the plan for use in an evacuation? Examples include pre-established evacuation routes, contraflow, evacuation phasing, regulation of type or number of vehicles (including transit), optimization of signal patterns and lane use, mitigation of work zone impacts, and suspension of tolls and fares.
The role played by the Traffic Engineering Division is primarily assisting the Emergency Operations Center in developing the emergency response plan. During an emergency, the Traffic Engineering Division will send staff to control major intersections. -
Role of ITS: What intelligent transportation system (ITS) components and other related traffic management tools are used in the evacuation plan? How, when, and why are they each used as part of the evacuation plan? Do you have redundant systems? Can you operate the ITS elements from any location other than the TMC? Examples of ITS components include surveillance cameras, variable message signs (VMS), highway advisory radio (HAR), 511 or other traveler information systems (phone and/or Web), interconnected traffic signal systems, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, ramp metering, traffic signal priority for buses, and vehicle detection systems.
Limited by resources, the City does not include ITS devices in its emergency response plan. -
Resources and Materials: What is the role of transportation agencies in identifying resource needs and in providing resources or materials? How do they assist in transportation service coordination?
The Emergency Operations Center will contact all of the affected agencies regarding needed, as well as available, resources. -
Evacuation Control, Coordination, and Management: Is an incident command system (ICS) used? How are transportation needs and resources, and the role of transportation agencies, integrated into the ICS? How are operations coordinated between TMCs, transit agencies, EOCs, and other agencies? Do you have plans for the re-entry of evacuees after the evacuation? How do you accommodate special needs evacuees (seniors, nursing home residents, hospital patients, inmates, people with pets, etc.)?
The Traffic Engineering Division does not utilize the ICS system. The Emergency Operations Center controls the emergency response. Agencies resort to traditional communication media, such as phone and fax, to coordinate with each other during emergencies. High-speed Internet is also available. Evacuation of people with special needs is taken care of by other agencies in the city, such as the Red Cross. -
Communications Between Agencies: What are the communications protocols between agencies? Are there established procedures for disseminating information quickly and accurately to personnel?
As stated above, traditional communication media are used to connect agencies. There is no established procedure for information dissemination. -
Communications with Evacuees: Is the public educated in advance about the evacuation procedures? What information is provided and how is the information disseminated? Do transportation agencies have a specific role in media coordination and traveler information dissemination, either before or during an evacuation? Is information coordinated between agencies and/or centralized before being delivered to the media?
Communication with evacuees is conducted through public radio or TV from the Mayor’s Office. The Traffic Engineering Division will contribute traffic information to the city, but does not disseminate any information directly to the public. -
Testing and Training Procedures: How often are testing/training exercises conducted? Who do these exercises involve? What drill scenarios have been used?
The Emergency Operations Center conducts training regularly. There is no consistent plan as to which agencies will be involved in the training exercises. -
Evaluation of Exercises: What aspects of the evacuation plan were implemented well in drill situations, and what aspects of the plan were found to require improvement? What elements of the plan were most useful for a successful evacuation drill? What lessons have been learned as a result of these drills?
The emergency response plan has only been used once. -
Evaluation of Evacuations: If the evacuation plan has ever been used in an actual evacuation, how successful was its implementation? To what extent was the evacuation simply monitored, rather than managed, by responding agencies? What aspects of the plan were implemented well in the actual emergency situation, and what aspects were found to require improvement? What elements of the plan were most useful for a successful evacuation?
As stated before, the plan was used only once during a forecasted hurricane, which did not cause much damage. -
After-Action Report: What is the process for post-evacuation evaluation? Is the post-incident review a collaborative effort among all agencies that were involved?
Still in development. -
Incorporation of Lessons Learned: Have the lessons learned in testing/training exercises and in real evacuations resulted in revisions to the emergency evacuation plan? Have the lessons learned resulted in changes in personnel training?
Lessons and inefficiencies will be improved or corrected as soon as they are identified.
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Conclusions: What specific recommendations do you have regarding management of traffic during evacuations for another agency developing or improving upon their own emergency evacuation plans?
The City of Jacksonville is not as vulnerable to storm disasters as many other coastal cities south of Jacksonville. More lessons and experiences can be obtained from cities that have dealt with more such actual emergencies.
June 26, 2006
Publication #FHWA-HOP-08-016
