14 Transportation Security 2012 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN 14 Transportation Security Emergency Planning Activities To date, emergency planning activities in Franklin County have focused on general emergency Transportation security issues and protecting the preparedness and training, and on the coordination transportation system from threats and disruptions between towns and agencies in response to a is an important topic. The attacks on the World disaster. There has been a large emphasis on Trade Center in September 2001 and Hurricane training, improving emergency communications Katrina in September 2005 each demonstrated the infrastructure, and evacuation planning. vulnerability of our transportation system in Two major committees working on emergency different but important ways. These events also planning in Franklin County are the Franklin County highlighted the need for coordinated emergency Regional Emergency Planning Committee and the planning and management to deal with such Western Regional Homeland Security Advisory disasters. It is essential to have emergency Council. management infrastructure systems in place in advance of disasters to best handle emergency Franklin County Regional Emergency response. It is also essential to take steps to protect Planning Committee our transportation infrastructure itself from The Franklin County Regional Emergency Planning potential security threats. Committee (REPC) was established in 2000, at the request of Franklin County towns. The REPC is Transportation security is also a key component of staffed by the FRCOG, and the REPC has a broad the Massachusetts long-range state transportation membership, including public safety officials, health plan, A Framework for Thinking – A Plan for Action professionals, industry executives, local government (2006). One of the eight guiding principles of the workers, and other community members. The initial state plan is that “the transportation system of the focus of the Emergency Planning Committee was to Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall be secure, assist all municipalities in the county in meeting with all modes and users protected against external federal and state mandates for emergency threats.” Similarly, transportation security is one of planning. The federal Emergency Planning and the eight planning factors required by SAFETEA-LU Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), passed in to be considered by transportation planning 1986, requires communities to develop emergency organizations during their planning processes. planning under a local Emergency Planning Committee, and to maintain data on hazardous In Franklin County, many of the planning efforts materials. Massachusetts General Law (Chapter 21E) related to the region’s transportation security are and Executive Order 242 also require planning by relatively recent, having begun within the last five communities for emergencies. The focus of the to ten years. There has been some attention paid to REPC has now been expanded to address all areas the need for planning for evacuations in the face of of emergency preparedness in the region. an emergency – such as flooding, a hazardous spill, etc.; however, these planning efforts have been The FRCOG and the REPC sponsor and provide stepped up significantly in recent times. There has workshops for emergency response staff and local also been a new focus on increasing the security of community leaders in the region to meet local and transportation facilities themselves. This chapter state training requirements regarding emergency provides a summary of the transportation security incident management and hazardous materials activities currently occurring within the Franklin handling and spills. The REPC also oversees the County region and makes recommendations for formation of volunteer Community Emergency future transportation security planning. Response Teams (CERTs), and training for the CERT Transportation Security Chapter 14 – Page 1 teams. CERT team members have a wide variety of emergency medical services, public works, general and technical skills. A group of residents corrections, public health, hospitals, emergency that have received the CERT training has formed the management, and public safety communications. Franklin County Community Emergency Response There are also ex-officio members from the Team. A related group is the Franklin County Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), a team of volunteers (MEMA), from the EOPS, which oversees the council, with experience and expertise in health care and and from the FRCOG. The FRCOG serves as the related fields. The Franklin County CERT and MRC fiduciary, the financial agent for the council. teams can provide important support to first Funding for the council’s activities comes from the responders during a critical incident, and can also federal Department of Homeland Security’s Office assist with non-emergency projects that improve of State and Local Government Coordination and the health and safety of a community. Both the Preparedness. CERT and MRC programs are part of the federal Citizens Corps initiative, which is funded through The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Council works with the regional planning agencies State and Local Government Coordination and in each region, and a variety of state agencies. The Preparedness. six primary goals of the council, as listed on the council’s web site, are: In December 2008, CERT and MRC provided over • Identify threats and vulnerabilities within 250 volunteer hours of support during a severe ice the region; storm to aid in shelter operations and emergency • Plan regionally to protect critical infrastructure and key assets; communication in the Towns of Heath, Warwick, • Train first responders and local officials; Shelburne, Conway, and Gardner. • Improve interoperability • Gather and share information between In 2009, the REPC secured $83,500 from the communities and agencies; and Western Region Homeland Security Advisory • Conduct multi-jurisdictional exercises for Committee to fund four regional exercises on the large-scale incident management1. following topics: Moore Dam Flooding, Mass Casualty, Hazardous Material Evacuation, and In 2004, the WRHSAC prepared the Western Tactical Communications. Massachusetts Regional Homeland Security Plan. This plan, which is submitted to the Massachusetts Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Executive Office of Public Safety (EOPS) is updated Council annually, and describes the WRHSAC’s proposed The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory investments and projects for each year. The FRCOG Council (WRHSAC) was created in 2004 with the and the other regional planning agencies that are charge of improving the region’s ability to respond part of the WRHSAC, the Berkshire Regional to large-scale emergency incidents or disasters Planning Commission and the Pioneer Valley (WRHSAC web site: www.wrhsac.org). The WRHSAC Planning Commission, have been working to covers the 101 cities and towns in Franklin, develop tools to strengthen the region’s response Berkshire, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties, and to large-scale natural and man-made disasters. is one of five similar councils in Massachusetts, each These tools include the following: a regional mutual one covering a different part of the state. The aid agreement to facilitate the sharing of resources fifteen original members of the WRHSAC were among towns; information on priority critical appointed by former Governor Mitt Romney. infrastructure; and evacuation planning for special Subsequent members are appointed by the needs populations. Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety (EOPS). WRHSAC’s voting members represent regional transit, fire services, law enforcement, 1 Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council Website. www.wrhsac.org Transportation Security Chapter 14 – Page 2 Since 2009, the WRHSAC has been involved with wanted to receive the vaccine had free and easy the statewide interoperability Executive Committee. access. The WRHSAC coordinated the purchase and expansion of an information sharing system for Improvements to Communications police, fire, and Sheriff’s Departments of Franklin, Infrastructure Hampden, Berkshire, and Hampshire Counties. Over $5 million has been invested into the Franklin Also, improvements were made to County Emergency Communication System the interoperable emergency Over $5 million has been (FCES) which is a model interoperable communication system for police, invested into the public safety radio communication system. fire, and EMS. An emergency Franklin County This eleven-site system replaced one that preparedness planning Emergency was originally constructed in the 1950s. conference was held in each Communication System Nine of the sites host two simulcast western county for agencies (FCES) which is a model channels, one for Fire and one for Police, for providing support to individuals interoperable public countywide communications. Shelburne safety radio requiring additional assistance. Control serves as the regional 911 and communication system. Ongoing development of the emergency dispatch center for Franklin Regional Evacuation and County. The dispatch center, which is Sheltering Plan has occurred, including the located at the Massachusetts State Police B-2 completion of a shelter assessment survey and the barracks in Shelburne, is the largest regional development of Transportation/Evacuation dispatch