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1 What Is a Pandemic? A pandemic is a global disease outbreak where there is little or no immunity to it and no vaccine. How Could a Pandemic Impact a Small Urban and/or Rural Transportation Organization? Pandemics cause significant absenteeism, change patterns of commerce, have limited immediate medical solutions, and interrupt supply chainsâall of which can have devastating effects on the operations and sustainability of small transportation organizations. Planning in advance will help small transportation organizations be ready to address the issues that arise specifically related to transit. Why Is it Important to Plan in Advance? (Wonât the Centers for Disease Control Give Direction on What to Do?) During a pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local public health departments will provide information, but they will not give instructions to specific types of organizations. Transportation agencies that lack an understanding of pandemics and do not take specific preparedness actions will likely struggle to respond safely and effectively. How Will All-Hazards Preparedness Help Us? Basic emergency management infrastructure and an all-hazard preparedness approach are essential for organizations to be able to manage a pandemic. However, additional hazard-specific activities are also required to ensure both continuity of operations and safety of staff and riders. What Wonât All-Hazards Preparedness Do? All-hazards preparedness may slow but not prevent the disease and lessen but not eliminate the impacts of a pandemic. How Resource Intensive Is Preparing for a Pandemic to a Rural Transportation Agency? Pandemic planning requires minimal acquisition of equipment and supplies for response operationsâpossibly disinfectants, personal protective equipment, and other supplies used S u m m a r y A Guide for Public Transportation Pandemic Planning and Response
2 a Guide for Public Transportation Pandemic Planning and response during a disease outbreak. The major commitments will be executive time for policy direc- tion and decisions and staff time for planning and coordination. How Is Pandemic Preparedness Different than Other Potentially Catastrophic Hazards (e.g., Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Hazardous Materials Spills, etc.)? Most disasters impact infrastructure and cause physical damage to people and structures. Pandemics impact human resources and society. What Is the Role of Policy Makers in Preparing for Pandemics? Policy makers must provide the executive support to prepare for a pandemic, including plan- ning, training, exercising, and acquiring materials that may be needed during a pandemic (e.g., disinfectants, personal protective equipment). Policy makers must be able to make decisions during a pandemic to protect workers, minimize impacts to the organization, and provide an appropriate level of service based on capabilities, capacities, and hazards. What Is the Role of Emergency Planners in Preparing for Pandemics? Planners should incorporate infectious disease planning into overall emergency manage- ment plans, maximizing the commonalities (all-hazard) while addressing the hazard-specific nature of pandemics. Transportation emergency planners should obtain executive support and fully integrate their activities with those of the local community, regional, tribal, and state organizations within transportation and with external disciplines. How Does the National Incident Command System and/or Organizational Use of the Incident Command System Relate to a Pandemic Outbreak? The National Incident Management System (NIMS) and its variants (e.g., the Incident Command SystemâICS) is the organizational structure used to manage all emergencies in the United States. Planning, training, and exercising activities should incorporate NIMS in all documents and activities. For more information, a helpful source is the FHWAâs Simpli- fied Guide to the Incident Command System for Transportation Professionals (available at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/ics_guide/). What Will this Guide Do for its Users? This guide is designed to outline the âwhatâ of pandemic preparedness planning for small urban and rural transportation agencies. The focus is on collaborative planning to work through complex and sometimes controversial issues related to workforce, safety, services, and public communication. What Wonât this Guide Do for its Users? This guide is NOT designed to provide the âhowâ or detailed procedures. It does however, in many areas, provide references to additional appropriate resources that may provide specificity. How Exactly Does a Small Urban and/or Rural Transportation Agency Prepare for a Pandemic? Transportation organizations are best prepared when they have (1) a robust overall emer- gency management program (planning, training, and exercising) that is coordinated with
Summary 3 other transportation agencies and organizations that will be engaged in response; (2) a means to communicate with riders before and during an outbreak; (3) developed various plausible scenarios and actions to be taken and acquired appropriate resources; and (4) policy makers that are able and willing to make reasoned decisions. Transportation agencies prepare for a pandemic by understanding the threat of a pandemic: What constitutes a pandemic, how it will likely impact the organization, and who has a role in responding to it. It is critical to know what can be done to mitigate the impact, what decisions about service will have to be made, and what tools and resources are available to help.