July/August 2002

TERRORISM AND THE VULNERABILITY OF TRANSIT SYSTEMS:
CONSIDER WHAT MIGHT BE CALLED THE UNION STATION SCENARIO
By Dr. Saul B. Wilen

Several individuals board a MARC train in Baltimore. The only existing security procedure -- showing a single picture I.D. to purchase a ticket -- was concluded, but in this case the I.D. was used to purchase all of the tickets.

Upon arriving at Union Station the individuals leave several "dirty" suitcase nuclear bombs on-board the train in storage bins and place several more in lockers at the station. Upon detonation, immediate death and destruction occur in a limited area. Catastrophically, however, Union Station and all of surrounding Washington, D.C., for several miles must be evacuated for several hundred years (U.S. Department of Energy information on radiation impact).

A commuter ferry carrying 300 passengers to work in San Francisco could easily be the target of a terrorist attack, as could a Chicago Transit Authority bus terminal handling thousands of commuters daily. Such a blow would in minutes kill and injure many, but the collateral impacts would paralyze the transit system and as a result the entire San Francisco or Chicago metropolitan area. Impacts would be felt throughout the nation.

The intent of terror is to disrupt and destroy directly, and to produce collateral consequences. While terrorist acts result in destruction, the prolonged impacts can be much more extensive.

The 1995 Sarin gas release by terrorists in Tokyo subway facilities killed 11 and injured more than 5,500 people. Approximately 60 percent of the victims treated had post-traumatic stress disorder that persisted for longer than six months. A major lesson learned was the "the importance of cooperation among multidisciplinary professionals in managing and overcoming incidents of this magnitude ("Sarin Poisoning on Tokyo Subway." Southern Medical Journal 90:587-593, June 1997)."

Terrorism works, in part, because of the psychological effects -- particularly fear -- that can immobilize individuals and make entire populations feel vulnerable.

The awakening of September 11, 2001 put America's vulnerabilities and weaknesses into sharp perspective. These vulnerabilities will remain critical as long as our responses and strategies fail to address prevention.

Vulnerability and prevention

Vulnerability exists when preparedness to prevent and the ability to react to terrorist threats do not. The ability to respond includes disaster preparedness and crisis management. However, this only represents the reactive component of preparedness. Prevention is the necessary co-equal requirement to be established.

The balance is defined through universal cooperation in real-time, incorporating shared, valid information, open communication, consistent education and resources management. Unique systems already developed by International Horizons Unlimited and Accountability Initiatives, LLC embody all of these elements.

America's mass transit systems are highly vulnerable because we are not proactively prepared. The first step is to access the transit industry by answering several fundamental questions:

• How vulnerable are we?
• Can terrorism attacks be prevented?
• Are we prepared to respond?
• Are we prepared to establish a comprehensive strategy and innovative private sector/governmental cooperation that focuses on prevention, protection, preparedness and response? Managers of mass transit systems must be proactive in planning and developing preparedness for terrorist acts.

This planning should include:
• A thorough assessment of the wide-scope of functions performed by the mass transit system
• An assessment of personnel, hiring practices and monitoring approaches
• An assessment of equipment inventories, condition and maintenance systems
• An assessment of all potential vulnerabilities to terrorist threats of the systems and equipment that could and would result in injury, death, cessation of function, disruption of daily activities, impact on other systems and entities, short- and long-term disruption of service, economic instability and diversion of resources
• An assessment of the security needs and approaches in place and those needed to protect vital and vulnerable components
• An assessment of emergency support available in the facilities and in the surrounding communities
• The establishment of preparedness goals that include prevention, protection, intervention and response
• The implementation of a program for personnel hiring and monitoring that is consistent with the preparedness goals
• The implementation of a program for heightened facility and equipment maintenance and monitoring
• The development of checklist evaluations to support frequent monitoring of the preparedness goals for personnel, facilities and equipment, with periodic assessment of the results and the implementation of necessary changes
• The implementation of a strategy for the orderly evacuation of customers and personnel from facilities
• The implementation of programs for the education of all personnel at all levels to include monitoring for educational effectiveness and regular re-enforcement and updating
• The establishment, implementation and testing of all primary and backup systems

Practice, then practice again

An ongoing process that includes planning, followed by practice through scenarios with subsequent assessment and effective communication to the participants, and updating and improvement, supports the prevention goals. This process must be repeated over and over again. All functions performed as part of the plan must be documented on a daily basis.

The plan functions must become routine parts of every day. All personnel must be included in the planning and implementation process, and must be educated to be trained observers and to report suspicious behavior and findings. Preparedness for mass transit and other infrastructure components is accomplished through the cooperation of governments, agencies and entities at all levels (local, regional, state, national and international) and the private sector. A primary goal is to establish a coordinated information repository capable of producing data integration (using horizontal data integration technology) in real-time to support effective planning, prevention and interventions. Incorporation of a unified effort to integrate information from multiple sources simultaneously for analysis and appropriate action(s) is essential.

Prevention is the critical element, offering the best strategy for mass transit and infrastructure protection.