John Cave – Manager, Protective Services

Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit)

Thursday, April 27, 2006

1. 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?
   
   

   AC Transit does not have an existing evacuation plan in response to regional disasters. The agency’s primary role is to assist other emergency response agencies by providing transit vehicles when requested. So far, AC Transit has not participated in an actual evacuation.

2. 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?
   
   AC Transit serves the Counties of Alameda and Contra Costa. In addition to providing evacuation assistance to these two counties, AC Transit will also help the City of San Francisco when needed.

3. 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 most likely event in the Bay Area that would result in a mass evacuation would be a major earthquake. AC Transit is prepared to assist in the event of a major earthquake or other likely events such as fire or severe weather.

4. 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 capacity that AC Transit is able to provide depends on the type of disaster, the time of day, and other factors. AC Transit does not currently utilize any models to estimate capacity needs.

5. 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.
   
   AC Transit will not control traffic in the event of an evacuation.

6. 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.
   
   AC Transit is equipped with transit vehicle traffic signal priority and GPS-based automated vehicle location systems. During an evacuation, AC Transit will utilize these tools as requested by the emergency responders, such as CHP and local police. 

7. 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?
   
   MTC is the primary agency for coordinating transit resources.

8. 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.)?
   
   An ICS is used. AC Transit does not participate in the operation of the EOC but will send staff to the EOC during an emergency. AC Transit will assist evacuating people with special needs when requested by the EOC to do so.
   

9. Communications Between Agencies: What are the communications protocols between agencies? Are there established procedures for disseminating information quickly and accurately to personnel?
   
   AC Transit communicates with other emergency agencies through telephone, fax, and other common communication media.

10. 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?
    
    AC Transit does not communicate with or disseminate information to evacuees. The evacuees on AC Transit buses resort to other common media, such as radio, for information update.  

11. Testing and Training Procedures: How often are testing/training exercises conducted? Who do these exercises involve? What drill scenarios have been used?
    
    AC Transit regularly participates in tabletop discussions regarding evacuation planning. To date, no testing or training has been conducted.

12. 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?
    
    Not applicable.

13. 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?
    
    Not applicable.

14. 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?
    
    AC Transit will prepare an after-action evaluation report after any actual evacuation activities.

15. 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?
    
    In any future evacuations, AC Transit plans to incorporate the lessons learned.

16. 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?  
    
    Since AC Transit does not play a critical role in the Bay Area’s evacuation planning process and has never participated in any evacuation exercise, it does not have much experience to share with other cities.

June 26, 2006
Publication #FHWA-HOP-08-016