Command-Level Decision Making for Transit Emergency Managers (2013)

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LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Table 1: Transit Concentration Areas and Their Associated Command-Level Roles ............................. 7 Table 2: Primary Task Functions of Transit Agencies with Associated Service Types .......................... 7 Table 3: Scenarios with Task Function Differentiators.......................................................................... 10 Table 4: Three-Phased Approach for Obtaining Organizational Acceptance ....................................... 18 Table 5: Potential Organizations for Providing Financial or Technical Assistance ............................... 19 Table 6: System Needs and Strategies for Need Fulfillment ............................................................... 20 Page iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The work reported herein was performed under TCRP A-36 by Engineering and Computer Simulations, Inc. ECS is the contractor for this study, with the Faith Group, LLC serving as subject-matter experts. Ms. Mary Ann Pigora is the Principal Investigator and the primary author of this report. ABSTRACT This report documents all phases of the “Command-Level Decision Making for Transit Emergency Managers” project. The goal of this project was to develop a Transit Emergency Response Application (TERA) that accurately trains transit command-level decision makers through simulation guided experiential learning. Simulated guided experiential learning provides gradual and consistent guidance while using a blend of instructional strategies to aid learners in achieving expert performance. TERA provides training and exercise for command-level roles in the transit agency emergency operations center in relation to mitigating transit-specific emergencies and supporting state and local emergency management authorities in natural or manmade disaster incidents. Page iv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Executive Summary This report describes all phases of work for the “Command-Level Decision Making for Transit Emergency Managers” project, resulting in the implementation of the Transit Emergency Response Application (TERA). The work described in this document fulfills Tasks 1 to 15 as outlined in the TCRP project A-36 approved research plan. These tasks include a training needs analysis, development of terminal and enabling learning objectives, field testing of the prototype system, and implementation of the release system with six scenarios. 1.2 Background Tragic events such as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina have shown that a critical element of a successful response is the ability for public and private transit agencies to work as coordinated teams with leading counterpart local, state, and federal emergency response organizations. The National Response Framework (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, rev. 2010, http://www.fema.gov/national-response-framework) provides a scalable, flexible, and adaptable framework for coordinating agencies such as transportation agencies to align key roles and responsibilities as they manage incidents from local events up to large-scale terrorist attacks or catastrophic natural disasters. The national framework calls for cooperation and understanding between local communities, tribes, states, the Federal Government, and the private sector as they strive to achieve shared goals. Moreover, outlined in the National Response Framework is the Incident Command System (ICS) which is a standardized, all-hazards incident management approach for integrating facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure, enabling coordinated response among various jurisdictions and functional agencies, both public and private, and establishing common processes for planning and managing resources. During an emergency, each responding agency is responsible for developing the capabilities needed for a timely and effective response by making assessments, and providing resources and information. In order for transit agencies to be prepared for unexpected incidents or emergencies, realistic and consistent training must be offered to personnel before and after an event. Effective response as described in this framework prefaces itself upon well-trained leaders and responders who have developed engaged partnerships and are able to achieve shared objectives. The aim of the “Command-Level Decision Making for Emergency Managers” project was to develop a Transit Emergency Response Application (TERA) to achieve the goals as outlined in the National Response Framework through simulation guided experiential learning. TERA provides training and exercise for command-level roles in the transit agency emergency operations center in relation to mitigating transit-specific emergencies and supporting state and local emergency management authorities in natural or manmade disaster incidents. 1.3 Research Objectives During Phase I (Tasks 1 to 5), we achieved the following objectives:  Wrote a Training Needs Analysis report that - identified the transit concentration areas (transit mode and/or mean) - identified primary transit agency command-level decision making roles - identified the primary functions of transit agencies (primary behavioral functions) - identified primary cognitive functions and associated processes of transit agency command-level decision makers - identified prerequisite knowledge and supplemental training individuals should receive prior to engaging in a TERA exercise - incorporated the TCRP review panel’s feedback/guidance and data from follow-up interviews from Tier One transit cities  Wrote role-based learning objective profiles that - identified and described the terminal and enabling outcomes - identified the tasks, conditions, standards, and expected actions - identified and applied instructional strategies and performance measures for each enabling outcome  Wrote a scenario timeline that Page 1

- identified and outlined the prototype structure of major events and time segments - identified and documented the progression and simulated content and injects that drive the storyline  Wrote prioritized list of potential TERA scenarios that - identified and categorized story types as natural or manmade disasters with task functions - identified and discussed the scenario’s applicability issues to transit emergency management During Phase II (Tasks 7 to 9), we achieved the following objectives: • Developed storyboards and facilitator/user guides o Developed draft facilitator and user guides. These guides were submitted for review and are also available at http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/169839.aspx. o Wrote high-level outlines for all six scenarios as identified in Phase I (see Appendix A) that describe details such as plot summary, various service disruptions, and transit authority tasks. o Wrote storyboards for software engineers to translate and transfer instructional content such as inject type and content, time, incoming and outgoing recipients, response feedback, and consequences into TERA. • Developed a prototype module o Identified and implemented artifacts such as video clips (e.g. TV news), email attachments, forms, and website news articles to support immersion in the prototype (flood with hazardous materials) scenario. The tasks exercised by this scenario are listed in Appendix E. All artifacts and injects are detailed in Appendix F. o Performed internal quality control checks which included scenario test runs and inject timing adjustments. o Released the prototype to the TERA portal at tera.train-emst.com. • Performed field testing of the prototype module o Conducted field tests at three different transit agencies. o Evaluated and documented participant reactions concerning usability of the system, content realism and accuracy, and training effectiveness. During Phase III (Tasks 12 to 15), we achieved the following objectives: • Developed the scenario-based training system o Implemented the remaining five TERA scenarios on the latest baseline of the core platform including simulated multiple communications media such as phone, email, websites, television, fax, bulletins, forms, and face-to-face interactions. o Added any specialized user interface components necessary to simulate the work flow of a transit emergency operations center that is relevant to critical incident management. o Conducted a final field test to generate a Kirkpatrick Level 2 evaluation with pre- and post- testing that focuses on participants’ ability to meet learning objectives. • Executed Test Plan o Executed the Internal (Beta) Test Plan on the beta release candidate to include automated scenario runs, inject acceptance tests, component acceptance test, assessment acceptance test, and browser compatibility acceptance test. o Delivered the completed Internal Test Plan to the TCRP as part of our quality assurance process. • Resolved Issues Identified through Tests Page 2

o Addressed all software issues by documenting them in an external test document and verifying fixes through confirmation by test personnel. o Released the final software package for delivery when all issues were resolved. • Prepared and Submitted Final Report o Wrote and submitted a final report that documents all three phases of the TERA project. The final report details the overall scope and goals for the project and research plan for each task including the background, objectives, research methods, results, and benefits of TERA. Page 3