March 19, 2018

Emergency Transportation Management: Keeping People Moving Safely in Times of Crisis

DCI’s employees have always taken a personal approach to the work they do, by keeping in mind the people who travel the same roads where they work and live. Safety is always a priority, but when planning for times of crisis there’s an even greater need to understand the behaviors of travelers and how to guide them through technology and design.

DCI began providing Emergency Transportation Management services in 2000 with hurricane evacuation planning for Maryland’s Eastern Shore. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, DCI was put to the test by developing the first terrorism-related evacuation traffic management plan for the Maryland side of the National Capital Region.

DCI has continued this line of work since then, which has evolved and expanded into the following four areas:

Evacuation Transportation Planning

DCI staff members have developed plans at the tactical level for the entire National Capital Region, Baltimore Metropolitan Region, Southern Maryland, Northwestern Virginia, West Virginia Eastern Panhandle, and South Central Pennsylvania. DCI employees have developed evacuation traffic management plans for specific facilities, including the University of Maryland in College Park, Tysons Corner, Three-Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant, the National Institutes of Health and the former Naval Medical Center. DCI staff members have also designed and conducted tabletop exercises that are HSEEP compliant.

Traffic Incident Detour Planning

DCI has developed incident detour plans, using our unique methodology to facilitate a wide distribution of the plans to field personnel. The work of DCI staff has covered VDOT Northwestern, Central, Northern, and Eastern Region Operations; and Route MD 100 and US 50 (from the DC line to Ocean City).

Continuity of Operations and Emergency Operations Planning

DCI has developed Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) for MDOT SHA, including the headquarters and all district offices; and for all divisions and offices of MDOT. DCI staff has developed Emergency Operations Plans (EOP) for MDOT MTA, which includes bus and MARC train operations.

Homeland Security Support

This area encompasses non-transportation related homeland security, such as facility vulnerability assessment (at the MVA headquarters, for instance) and response to complex coordinated attacks (such as a project we are performing for the Northern Virginia Police Chiefs).

DCI’s 30-plus years of experience in all aspects of transportation engineering and design make them the top choice for multidisciplinary projects, no matter how complex.

Contact DCI to talk about your next project in Emergency Transportation Management.