Metro News Release

For immediate release: September 1, 2004

Metro Citizen Corps to be established

Citizens to receive emergency preparedness training in Metro system

The Metro Transit Police Department is launching a Metro Citizen Corps program this month that will provide Metro-specific training ranging from rail safety and emergency preparation and response to identification of terrorist activity. September is National Emergency Preparedness Month. The two-step development process for this new training begins today when Metro Transit Police officers, Metro employees and a group of area residents who have already participated in specialized training within their local jurisdictions will participate in a day-long interactive coordination " train-the-trainer" session. The citizen trainers are known as area Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) coordinators and are from the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. Beginning two weeks after today’s coordinator’s meeting, Metro will offer two three-hour training sessions to be held on September 15 and 23 to allow area citizens to participate in the training sessions to become members of the Metro Citizen Corps. A third session will focus on identifying criminal and terrorist activity. They will be held in the evenings to ensure maximum citizen participation. The evening sessions are mandatory to become a Metro Citizen Corps member. (The media is welcome to attend these training sessions.) " The creation of the Metro Citizen Corps will incorporate the expertise of CERT-trained volunteers by adding a Metro-related training component which will provide specific safety instruction in the transit environment," explained Transit Police Chief Polly Hanson. " We will train area residents and by doing so, we will ensure that they are well-versed in what to do in the event of an emergency in a transit environment." Trainees will receive actual hands-on training in the rail system and the tunnel environment including a tunnel and " right-of-way" walk where participants will test third rail electric power of the tracks with a hot stick and learn the safe way to cross over the electrified rail. They also will receive information on the location of emergency trip stations and how to access them in case of an emergency. Fan shaft locations will be pointed out and the Corps members will learn the proper way to turn on an exhaust fan in case of an emergency. The Metro Transit Police Department is partnering with CERT Coordinators from the local jurisdictions to establish the Metro Citizen Corps.

News release issued on September 1, 2004.