Local Emergency Management Centers - Emergency Management Functionality

Subsystem Description

The Emergency Management (EM) Subsystem represents public safety, emergency management, and other allied agency systems that support incident management, disaster response and evacuation, security monitoring, and other security and public safety-oriented ITS applications. The subsystem includes the functions associated with fixed and mobile public safety communications centers including public safety call taker and dispatch centers operated by police (including transit police), fire, and emergency medical services. It includes the functions associated with Emergency Operations Centers that are activated at local, regional, state, and federal levels for emergencies and the portable and transportable systems that support Incident Command System operations at an incident. This subsystem also represents other allied systems including centers associated with towing and recovery, freeway service patrols, HAZMAT response teams, and mayday service providers.  

The subsystem manages sensor and surveillance equipment used to enhance transportation security of the roadway infrastructure (including bridges, tunnels, interchanges, and other key roadway segments) and the public transportation system (including transit vehicles, public areas such as transit stops and stations, facilities such as transit yards, and transit infrastructure such as rail, bridges, tunnels, or bus guideways). The subsystem provides security/surveillance services to improve traveler security in public areas not a part of the public transportation system.  

This subsystem monitors alerts, advisories, and other threat information and prepares for and responds to identified emergencies. It interfaces with other Emergency Management Subsystems to support coordinated emergency response involving multiple agencies. The subsystem stores, coordinates, and utilizes emergency response and evacuation plans to facilitate this coordinated response. As the response progresses, situation information including damage assessments, response status, evacuation information, and resource information are shared to keep all allied agencies appraised of the response. Interface with the Transit Management Subsystem allows coordinated use of transit vehicles to facilitate response to major emergencies and to support evacuation efforts. The Emergency Management Subsystem also provides a focal point for coordination of the emergency and evacuation information that is provided to the traveling public, including wide-area alerts when immediate public notification is warranted.  

The subsystem tracks and manages emergency vehicle fleets using real-time road network status and routing information from the other center subsystems to aide in selecting the emergency vehicle(s) and routes that will provide the most timely response. Interface with the Traffic Management Subsystem allows strategic coordination in tailoring traffic control to support emergency vehicle ingress and egress, implementation of special traffic restrictions and closures, evacuation traffic control plans, and other special strategies that adapt the transportation system to better meet the unique demands of an emergency.

Functional Area: Center Secure Area Alarm Support

Collection and response to silent and audible alarms received from travelers in secure areas (such as transit stops, rest areas, park-and-ride lots) and from on-board transit vehicles.

ID Requirement Status
2 The center shall collect silent and audible alarms received from transit vehicles, originated by the traveler or the transit vehicle operator. Near-term
3 After the alarm message has been received, the center shall generate an alarm acknowledgment to the sender. Near-term
4 After the alarm message becomes a verified incident, the center shall determine the appropriate response. Near-term
5 The center shall determine whether the alarm message indicates an emergency that requires the attention of public safety agencies, and forward alarm message data to the appropriate agency as necessary. Near-term
6 The center shall forward the alarm message to center personnel and respond to the traveler or transit vehicle operator as directed by the personnel. Near-term

Functional Area: Emergency Data Collection

Collection and storage of information related to Emergency Management. For use by operations personnel or data archives in the region.

ID Requirement Status
1 The center shall collect emergency service data, emergency vehicle management data, emergency vehicle data, sensor and surveillance data, threat data, and incident data. Medium-term
2 The center shall assign quality control metrics and meta-data to be stored along with the data. Meta-data may include attributes that describe the source and quality of the data and the conditions surrounding the collection of the data. Medium-term
3 The center shall receive and respond to requests from ITS Archives for either a catalog of the emergency management data or for the data itself. Medium-term
4 The center shall be able to produce sample products of the data available. Medium-term

Functional Area: Emergency Response Management

Strategic emergency planning and response capabilities and broad inter-agency interfaces to support large-scale incidents and disasters, commonly associated with Emergency Operations Centers.

Functional Area: Emergency Routing

Routing of emergency vehicles to facilitate the quickest/safest arrival. Routes may be determined based on real-time traffic information and road conditions or routes may be provided by Traffic Management on request.

ID Requirement Status
2 The center shall receive information on the location and status of traffic control equipment and work zones along potential emergency routes. Near-term
3 The center shall receive status information from care facilities to determine the appropriate facility and its location. Long-term
4 The center shall receive asset restriction information to support the dispatching of appropriate emergency resources. Existing
6 The center shall track current emergency vehicle location and status. Existing
7 The center shall calculate emergency vehicle routes, under center personnel control, based on the collected traffic and road conditions information. Long-term
9 The center shall provide the capability to request special traffic control measures, such as signal preemption, from the traffic management center to facilitate emergency vehicle progress along the suggested route. Near-term
10 Once the route is calculated the route shall be provided to the dispatch function. Long-term
11 The center shall provide the capability for digitized map data to act as the background to the information presented to the emergency system operator. Long-term

Functional Area: Incident Command

Tactical decision support, resource coordination, and communications integration among emergency management agencies for Incident Commands that are established by first responders to support local management of an incident.

ID Requirement Status
1 The center shall provide tactical decision support, resource coordination, and communications integration for Incident Commands that are established by first responders to support local management of an incident. Near-term
2 The center shall provide incident command communications with public safety, emergency management, transportation, and other allied response agency centers. Near-term
3 The center shall track and maintain resource information and action plans pertaining to the incident command. Near-term
5 The center shall assess the status of responding emergency vehicles as part of an incident command. Near-term

Functional Area: Service Patrol Management

Dispatch and communication with roadway service patrol vehicles that monitor roads to aid motorists, offering rapid response to minor incidents.