Managerial Personnel Respond: Augment the Emergency Operations Center for Extreme Events

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Abstract: 

Railroads have been managing normal emergencies for more than 150 years. They have plans and equipment, such as snow sheds and fire trains, to respond to normal emergencies. As the average temperature on Earth rises, more frequent and more extreme weather-related emergencies are placing new demands on railroads, which operate in an open and unprotected environment. Preparing an emergency operations center for the railroad, and preparing to join a regional response to wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other extreme events is good risk management.

This is part of an ongoing series of publications/resources focused on preparing railroad organizations to respond to extreme events. Other publications in this series are:

1. Identify the Problems: Threat and Hazard Inventory and Risk Assessment (THIRA)

2. Address the Problem: Develop an Emergency Operations Plan for Extreme Events

3. Field Personnel Respond: Incident Command System (ICS) for Extreme Events on the Railroad

4. Managerial Personnel Respond: Augment the Emergency Operations Center for Extreme Events

 

 

 

 

Jeff Moller, Interview on Railroad War Room/Emergency Operations Center 

 

 

Authors: 

FRANCES L EDWARDS, MUP, PHD, CEM

Frances L. Edwards is the deputy director of the Mineta Transportation Institute’s Allied Telesis National Transportation Security Center, professor emerita in the San Jose State University Political Science Department, and an instructor in the Master of Science in Transportation Management for MTI. She also teaches courses for TSA Surface Inspectors through ENSCO. She is the Principal Investigator for this research. She is the co-author of four books, fourteen publications for MTI, and numerous articles and book chapters. She is a certified emergency manager with more than 20 years’ field experience.

DANIEL C GOODRICH, MPA, CEM MEP

Daniel C. Goodrich is the senior transportation security scientist for the Mineta Transportation Institute, and an instructor in the Master of Science in Transportation Management for MTI.  He also teaches courses for TSA Surface Inspectors through ENSCO. He is the co-author of Introduction to Transportation Security and ten reports for MTI. He is a certified emergency manager, a master exercise practitioner, and a certified security specialist. He has worked in emergency management for local government and the private sector, and has sixteen years’ active military service, including US Marine Corps Security Forces. 

Published: 
September 2025
Keywords: 
Extreme events
Normal emergencies
Incident Command System
Emergency operations center
Wildfires
Hurricanes

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MCTM
NTFC
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