The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) has published Report 08-06, Role of Transportation in Campus Emergency Planning. The report provides practical information about how universities and other campuses can adequately address the transportation aspects of disaster response and recovery. It is of particular value to campus emergency planners.

Principal investigators were Frances Edwards, Ph.D., who directs the Master of Public Administration program at San Jose State University, and Daniel C. Goodrich, an emergency preparedness coordinator for Lockheed Martin Space Systems.

“While most university emergency plans address public safety and logistics management, few adequately address the transportation aspects of disaster response and recovery,” said Dr. Edwards. “This report describes the value of integrating transportation infrastructure into the campus emergency plan, including planning for helicopter operations.”

It also provides a list of materials and a bibliography that can be used to educate campus leadership about campus emergency impacts. It provides a complete set of Emergency Operations Plan (EPO) checklists and organization charts updated to include lessons learned from Katrina, 9/11, and other wide-scale emergencies. Campus emergency planners can quickly update their existing emergency management documents by integrating selected annexes and elements, or they can create new National Incident Management System (NIMS)-compliant plans by adapting the complete set of annexes to their universities’ structures.

Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama sustained significant destruction from Hurricane Katrina, including damage to 31 colleges and universities. Other campuses, notably Louisiana State University (LSU), became resources to the disaster area. As a result, the Federal Department of Homeland Security, under Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5, requires all public agencies that wish to receive federal preparedness assistance to comply with NIMS, which includes creating an EOP. Universities, which may be victims or resources during disasters, now must write NIMS-compliant emergency plans.

The free document can be downloaded from www.transweb.sjsu.edu. Click “Research” and then “Publications.” Scroll down to the report.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

FRANCES EDWARDS, Ph.D.

Dr. Edwards is director of the Master of Public Administration program and professor of political science at San José State University. She is a research associate of the Mineta Transportation Institute, and she teaches emergency management in the Master of Transportation Management program. For 14 years, Dr. Edwards directed the Office of Emergency Services in San José, Calif. She directed San José's Metropolitan Medical Task Force (MMTF), a CBRNE terrorism response unit, and headed the four-county “San José Urban Area Security Initiative.” In 2001 the Wall Street Journal called San José the “best prepared city in the United States” for disasters. She has a Ph.D. in public administration, a Master of Urban Planning, MA in Political Science (International Relations), and a Certificate in Hazardous Materials Management.

DANIEL C. GOODRICH, M.P.A., CEM

Mr. Goodrich coordinates emergency preparedness for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. He is an instructor and research associate for the Mineta Transportation Institute, where he also teaches Security for Transportation Managers. He was selected as a 2006 Fellow of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and studied Muslim terrorism at Tel Aviv University. He has served on the San José Metropolitan Medical Task Force, a CBRNE response unit, since 1999. Mr. Goodrich served in the United States Marine Corps for ten years, including in Security Forces. He also served for six years in the Army Reserve Military Police as a small arms instructor. Mr. Goodrich earned a Masters of Public Administration from San José State University and is a Certified Emergency Manager.

ABOUT THE MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE:

The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) was established by Congress in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and was reauthorized in 1998. The institute is funded by Congress through the US DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, by the California Legislature through the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and by other public and private grants and donations. The US DOT selected MTI as a national “Center of Excellence” following a 2002 competition.

The Institute has a Board of Trustees whose internationally-respected members represent all major surface transportation modes. MTI’s focus on policy and management resulted from a board assessment of the industry’s unmet needs and led directly to choosing the San José State University College of Business as the Institute’s home. MTI conducts research, education, and information and technology transfer focusing on transportation policy and management topics and issues. Visit www.transweb.sjsu.edu