Multi-Modal Transportation Demonstrated Successes

Hazardous Material Study: For North Carolina Emergency Management’s Information and Plans section, IEM is conducting hazardous material study series for the state’s nine Domestic Preparedness Regions. The study provides an assessment of the hazardous material risks near critical facilities such as schools, public buildings, congested transportation routes and areas with large population density. “Our contractor, Innovative Emergency Management [IEM], produces these profiles, and once completed, local emergency offices can use the study’s findings to update their hazardous material response plans and to develop realistic exercises to test their plans,” said Ed Jenkins, Deputy Chief, Information and Planning Section. Read full hazardous material study article.

Commodity Flow Studies: For North Carolina, IEM conducted a regional study of hazmat transport, mapping chemical shipments across designated regions. Understanding where freight shipments are concentrated, officials can now ensure necessary infrastructure is in place to support the network and have an increased awareness of freight vulnerabilities and safety needs. Study results have also resulted in changes to shipping routes.

Port Security Planning: IEM has conducted port security planning and other services for some of the largest US ports, including the Ports of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Lake Charles, Fourchon, Plaquemines, Louisville, Nashville, Charleston, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.

Air Operations Planning: IEM has provided aviation expertise to government agencies resulting in FEMA Joint Field Office’s Aviation Branch Operations Manual; National Response Framework Aviation Operation Support Annex; State and Local Aviation Planning (SLAP) guidance; development of Federal Support Plans for air evacuations, and successful air evacuations of New Orleans residents during Hurricane Gustav.

Mass Transit Planning: IEM has provided emergency planning assistance to some of the largest mass transit agencies in the United States, including the New Jersey Transit Corporation, the Washington D.C.Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Houston Metro Transit, and the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.

Rail Planning:  IEM helped a Class 1 rail carrier mitigate public perception about decreases in safety related to a significant rail expansion in a major city. We calculated changes in emergency response times for fire and rescue vehicles in the event of increased rail service in several suburbs. The analysis included the use of an industry-tested traffic model and detailed statistical analysis techniques to determine how the increased waiting time at highway-rail grade crossings would impact emergency services.

Mass Evacuation Transportation Planning: For FEMA, IEM developed a detailed transportation model that simulates mass evacuation from a Gulf Coast hurricane. We modeled proposed airline, rail, and bus trips for local residents who need public assistance to evacuate. We evaluated evacuation performance under multiple scenarios and conducted detailed modeling of the internal operations of a key transportation facility where evacuee registration, medical, and transportation triage would take place.