Metro News Release
For immediate release: August 15, 2003
Metro prepared for emergencies, including loss of power
How to Exit Metro presentation released, posted on Web
Metro officials are prepared for emergencies like the sudden loss of power that areas of the Northeastern United States experienced yesterday, and detailed instructions on how to safely exit Metro in an emergency were posted at www.metroopensdoors.com today and have been made available to local-area businesses to familiarize employees with the Metro system’s safety procedures.
"We have created a CD-ROM to help our customers prepare for emergencies anywhere in our transit system-bus or rail," explained Fred Goodine, Metro’s Assistant General Manager of Safety and Risk Protection. The CD-ROM is a companion piece to a brochure entitled "Rail System Safety," that is available inside stations at the "Take One" racks. "We posted it on our web site, and we hope customers will log on and download it to find specific steps they can take to ensure their safety on Metro during an emergency. We also are providing suggestions on how to plan ahead and find out more about preparing for emergencies."
If the Washington Metropolitan region experiences a power loss of the magnitude experienced in the Northeast, "Metro customers won’t be left stranded in Metrorail tunnels in the dark," said Metro CEO Richard A. White. "We have back up power and trained employees who can help guide customers to safety. Plus we have posted evacuation procedures in all of our rail cars."
Metro Won’t Leave Customers In The Dark
Metro has emergency back-up batteries that will keep every third light inside Metrorail tunnels to stay lit and will also keep every third light inside rail cars to remain lit for up to two hours, allowing plenty of time to evacuate trains, and tunnels with lighting available to help guide customers to safety. Inside stations, emergency lighting will remain on for up to six hours. The public address system on trains would also continue to work as would communication between the train operator and Metro’s Operations Control Center, allowing either information or messages to be passed along to customers on board trains.
If a Metrobus or MetroAccess vehicle needs to be evacuated, customers will be guided by the vehicle operators.
"Metro employees are trained on how to safely evacuate customers from our stations, and regional first-responders also are trained," Mr. Goodine explained.
Yesterday, Metro Transit Police were in contact with the FBI Terrorism Task Force and the Office of Homeland Security, as well as with local jurisdictions, said Transit Police Chief Polly Hanson. In addition, Metro personnel worked to continuously check the power supply and they stayed on, working extra hours to keep an eye on the power supply in case the problem spread to the Washington region. Transportation personnel were also held over in case they were needed.
Metro Drills, Trains to Prepare
Just nine days ago, on August 6, Metro officials and emergency responders from the District of Columbia participated in a drill where the scenario was a heat-related emergency that included a power outage. "It’s ongoing training like we just completed that keeps our local first responders well-practiced should something happen," Mr. Goodine explained. Emergency responders from the District of Columbia, Alexandria, and Arlington have been working with Metro officials on what to do in case of an emergency in a Metrorail tunnel including police, fire, and EMS personnel.
Metro’s one-of-a-kind emergency training facility is available for area emergency responders to train 24-hours-a-day so that they can drill and practice their response to emergencies in a tunnel. So far approximately 1,800 regional emergency responders have been trained using the tunnel training facility.
Customers Should Prepare for Emergencies
This past spring, Metro officials along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transportation Administration, the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area and the American Public Transportation Association collaborated to help area residents prepare for emergencies regardless of where someone is when it occurs. The "Together We Prepare" campaign encouraged people to plan for emergencies that are likely to affect their typical commute and know how to respond if the emergency occurs while commuting to/from home and work. This information is posted on Metro’s web site at and brochures are available in stations and buses in the free "Take One" racks.
"It’s more important than ever to be prepared for emergencies,"said Mr. White. "There are steps people can take to minimize the impact a disaster might have on their lives and the crucial first step is planning ahead. Here at Metro, we have planned in advance and we are ready should something like a power failure happen here. We encourage our customers to become familiar with our evacuation procedures, and we hope they will be ready to take an alternate route home should, for some reason, their usual route home no longer be available to them.
"Most people are used to getting to and from work and home the same way each day," said Mr. White. "Preparedness can be achieved through smart communications, and our web site has several options for our customers to use at www.metroopensdoors.com."
Metro provides alternative route information via several modes of communicating with customers. They include:
" The On-Line Ride Guide. Individuals with internet access can log onto Metro’s Ride Guide (www.metroopensdoors.com) to find out different ways to get from place to place. Options can include rail-only travel, rail and bus travel, or bus-only travel.
" The Voice-Activated Ride Guide. This provides the identical service as listed above, but without the need for a computer. People can call 202-637-7000 to access the Ride Guide via telephone. This is also a good option should someone with a cell phone suddenly find himself on a street corner in need of finding out how to get home using public transit, although it will not reflect sudden detours. It’s great to use for advanced planning.
" Detailed Maps. Metrorail maps identify locations where the MARC, VRE, and Amtrak stations are located at or near Metrorail stations. These other means of mass transit also are good options during an emergency situation. Metrobus regional maps, available on the web site at or at Metro sales centers, show all of the routes that serve a jurisdiction and are a good idea to keep in a briefcase or pocketbook in case of an emergency.
" Timetables. Metrorail and Metrobus timetables are also available on line at www.metroopensdoors.com.
" E-mail Alerts. Customers can sign up for e-mail alerts from Metro to your home, office, or e-mail pager, or PDA to save you time during an emergency.
" Transportation Links. Metro’s web site will carry emergency transportation information, regardless of whether that information is Metro-related. Links to other transportation providers is also located on Metro’s web site.
News release issued on August 15, 2003.