Delaware Emergency Management Agency Statewide Exercise Program: Rail Emphasis

Dates

December 2008 – December 2019

Contact

Thomas Nesbella, WMD Training & Exercise Planner
165 Brick Stone Landing Rd, Smyrna, DE 19977
Phone: (302) 659-2353
Email: thomas.nesbella@state.de.us

Overview

The Olson Group, Ltd. (OGL) has been the prime contractor supporting the Delaware Emergency Management Agency’s statewide exercise program. Since inception, OGL has designed, developed, conducted, and evaluated more than 45 all-hazards HSEEP-guided discussion and operations-based exercises, including multiple exercises with a rail focus.

Kent County Rail HazMat TTX:  OGL designed, conducted, and evaluated a tabletop exercise addressing the response to a train derailment and resulting hazardous materials incident in Kent County, Delaware. The exercise was an opportunity for local first responders and county emergency management to discuss the response to a rail incident with Norfolk Southern leadership and responders.

Sussex County Rail HazMat TTX: OGL designed, conducted, and evaluated a tabletop exercise addressing the response to a train derailment and resulting hazardous materials incident in Sussex County, Delaware. The exercise was an opportunity for local first responders and county emergency management to discuss the response to a rail incident with Delaware Coast Line Railroad personnel.

LEPC for New Castle County Freight Rail FSE: OGL designed, conducted, and evaluated a full-scale exercise focusing on the response to a freight rail incident resulting in both a burning crude oil car and car leaking chlorine. OGL supported Norfolk Southern with the conduct of a TTX and training in advance of the full-scale exercise. The FSE provided local fire companies, county and state emergency management, New Castle County HazMat team responders, the State HazMat team, and other county, state and federal stakeholders an opportunity to utilize equipment and protocols for responding to a major rail incident.

New Castle County Rail MCI FSE: OGL was leading the design, conduct and evaluation of a full-scale exercise focusing on the response to a passenger train derailment and resulting mass casualty incident (MCI). The exercise, planned and designed with county emergency management, Amtrak, and SEPTA, was an opportunity for New Castle County responders to enact response protocols for an MCI on a passenger train at an active station (Churchman’s Crossing Station). In preparation for the FSE, OGL supported

Amtrak and SEPTA in the planning for Passenger Train Emergency Response (PTER) training. The exercise had a strong Disabilities Access and Functional Needs (DAFN) component, garnering volunteer role player participation from the DAFN community. The feedback from the DAFN participants and evaluators’ observations led to several corrective actions, which fixed long-standing access issues at the station and began better “whole community” involvement in planning activities between New Castle County, the State of Delaware, and its regional transportation partners.

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