5.4 Communication
5.4.1 Agencies
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Establish Agency Notification Procedures – Additional areas where interviewees identified a need for improvement was in the notification process. “Many responding agencies first heard of the incident via the media, and implemented emergency response plans based on these media reports. Agency-to-agency notification procedures could have been better managed. The one area where communications were relatively successful was public information. The media also provided a valuable service in providing information about the crisis.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: Howard Street Tunnel Fire, Baltimore City
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“Establish Direct Lines of Communication with Non-Transportation Agencies – New York City Transit staff was able to more quickly make the decision to evacuate the subway system. It is important for agencies to have an established communications protocol with agencies, such as the energy company, private providers of equipment, and emergency responders, before an event occurs to allow for smoother communications during an emergency.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: August 2003 Northeast Blackout New York City
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“Establish or Strengthen the Communication Among Agencies – For the New York region, the Transportation Operations Coordinating Committee collects and disseminates current transportation condition information to over 100 member agencies and affiliates.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: August 2003 Northeast Blackout New York City
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Improve Communication and Include Law Enforcement – “Conducting evacuations in stages so residents of multiple parishes aren’t all leaving at once. A key will be to improve communication among local and state officials through a conference call with local officials that would focus solely on traffic issues. The committee’s chairman, Senator Robert Barham, Republican-Oak Ridge, said emergency officials must do a better job of keeping local law enforcement officials up to speed on evacuation plans. ‘I’m hearing sheriffs scream bloody murder, ‘We’re not in the loop as we should be,’ Barham said. Colonel Henry Whitehorn, head of the State Police, said the department is working to fix the problem and said the agency is hoping to replace its communication system with one that would allow law enforcement officers from across the state to access the same information at once.”
Times-Picayune Online: “Communication Called Storm Evacuation Key”
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Resolve Communication Differences – “In general, communications between responding agencies were not as effective as might be desired. This was due in large part to the differences in guiding priorities as well as the fact that the Incident Commander was initially concerned only about fire suppression. The Maryland Transportation Authority helped to resolve this by providing a mobile command post with state-of-the-art communications capabilities that in turn were used by all parties.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: Howard Street Tunnel Fire, Baltimore City
February 7, 2006
Publication #FHWA–HOP-08-015
