Building An Accessible Transportation Network,
A Public-Private Partnership
Rocky Mountain Access and Functional Needs
Conference
September 28 – 29, 2011
Jon Davis, Deputy Director, Polk County Emergency
Management
Photo courtesy of Vicky Sheperd/FEMA
Polk County
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Capital City, Des Moines
Population 430,640 2010 Census
Rural and urban
Staff of three
Mission Statement
In partnership with private sector and
nonprofit organizations, coordinate and
promote a comprehensive, risk-based
program of local emergency management
activities in order to establish a disaster
resilient community in Polk County
Mission = Comprehensive
Mitigation
Recovery
Preparedness
Response
Emergency Management Commission
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Comprised of Coordinator
Mayor or designee from each city – 17
Designee from Polk County - Sheriff
Decision makers
Core Duties and Responsibilities
• Iowa Code and Iowa Administrative Code
• Hazard identification, risk and capability assessment
• Resource management, planning, communications and
warning
• Direction, control and coordination
• Administration and finance
• Training, exercises and public education
• Homeland Security (informal )
Incident Management
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Incidents managed at local level if possible
Follow local – county – state – federal
Transition federal – state – county – local
Until returned to normal operations
Hazard Analysis, Risk Assessment
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Historical occurrence
Probability
Vulnerability
Geographic scope
Severity of Impact
Speed of Onset
Cascading potential
Planning Process
• Agreed upon action with shared responsibilities – prevent
misunderstandings
• Fulfill community and legal expectations and
requirements
• Reduce liability
• Identify shortfalls
• Basis for training and exercise
Photo courtesy of Marvin Nauman/FEMA
Planning Products
• Comprehensive Emergency Plan
– Response/operations
– Mitigation
– Recovery
• Pre-disaster mitigation
• Continuity of Operations
• Continuity of Government
Resource Management
• Categories/types – services, equipment,
supplies, facilities
• Functions – identify/type, build, implement,
maintain
• Methods – own, contract, mutual aid,
Emergency Management Assistance
Compact/Iowa Mutual Aid Compact
Notification
• Response partners
– Emergency Operations Center activation, call lists,
CodeRED
• Public
• CodeRED, NOAA Weather Radio, media, door to
door
Flooding Exercise
• Planning
– No notice of disaster
– Anticipated disaster, ex. flooding
• Evacuation Rally Point
• Public Health, EMS, accessible
transportation, law enforcement
• Shelter identification and location
Triage
• Assess medical needs
– Pre- disaster
– Due to disaster
• Basic First Aid or transport to hospital
• Determine sheltering needs
– Medical shelter for acute medical conditions
– Residential care
– Accessible general population shelters
– Self sufficient
Transportation
• From evacuation rally point to shelter
• From residence to evacuation rally point or
shelter
• Other missions, ex. showers, recovery
centers, routine medical
Building a Transportation
Partnership in Your Community
• Identify all available resources for accessible
transportation
– Schools, including colleges and universities,
churches, day care, providers, local transit,
care facilities, hospitals, EMS, bus lines
(Greyhound), taxi’s, hotel shuttle, independent
ambulance service, personal vehicles
• Engage decision makers on participation
Transportation Partnerships
• Identify drivers/support staff
• Maintain signed Memorandum of
Understanding and review at least
annually
• Provide training for drivers/volunteers
• Maintain current roster of fleet and drivers
• Include them in planning process and
exercises
Why It Works
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Natural partner – this is their “day job”
Experts in the field
Both have common goals, the public
Established trust with public
Already know people with access and
functional needs that live independently
Polk County Transportation
Partnership
• Link – service provider for people with intellectual
disabilities
• Established infrastructure for successful
transportation – boots on the ground ready
• Full fleet of accessible vehicles
How It Happened
• Contact made by Link looking for assistance with
continuity planning
• Polk County Emergency Management reviewed and
offered input
• Link also contacted Des Moines Police for assistance
with bomb threats and other security concerns
• Realized benefit of services and invited Link to
Multidisciplinary meetings
• Link offered services as way to give back to the
community
Extra Benefits
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Staff engaged in personal/family preparedness
Conduit for other providers in the area
Trust
Reliability
Trained
– no spontaneous or unsavory volunteers
Real Activation
• Floods of 2008
• Floods of 2010
Lessons Learned
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Communication
Coordination
Cooperation
Share the workload
Have a plan!
Take Away
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Find existing providers of services
Be creative
Build relationships before the event
Exercise
Questions?/ Contact Information
Jon Davis, Deputy Director
Polk County Emergency Management
1907 Carpenter Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50314
515-286-2107
Jon.Davis@polkcounty.iowa.gov