massachusetts department of transportation highway ......transportation local franklin regional...

Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division

TSA I-STEP New England RISE July 11, 2018

AASHTO TSSR Annual Meeting San Diego, CA

Exercise Overview

• June 12, 2018

• College of the Holy Cross

• Worcester, MA

• Full Day Table Top Exercise

• Six New England States

• Conducted by TSA

• Hosted by Mass DOT

• I-95 Corridor Coalition

• National Cooperative Highway Research Program

I-STEP Program Overview

• Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA)

• Intermodal Security Training and Exercise Program (I-STEP)

• Intermodal Environment

• Enhance Security Capabilities

• Build Partnerships

• Gain Insights

• National Infrastructure Protection Plan

• Office of Security Policy and Industry Engagement

• National Transportation Security Policy

Mission Areas, Core Capabilities, And Objectives

• Prevention, Protection

• Physical Protective MeasuresIntroduce participants to federal, state, local, and private sector counterterrorism resources, capabilities, technologies, personnel, and initiatives

• Operational CoordinationEvaluation prevention- and protection-related capabilities, plans, and coordination among New England regional transportation security stakeholders

• Intelligence and Information SharingCollect and evaluate best practices and improve information sharing among New England regional transportation security stakeholders

Exercise Participation

Federal DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Federal Bureau of Investigation

National Park Service

TSA

U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Department of Transportation

Local Franklin Regional Transit Authority

Laconia Police Department

Lowell Emergency Management

Lowell Fire Department

MA Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Transit Police

Manchester Transit Authority

Manchester-Boston Regional Airport

Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority

New Haven Health Department

Newport Fire Department

Springfield Area Transit Company

Worcester Fire Department

Private Amtrak

Central Mass Transit Management Inc.

DATTCO

Genesee & Wyoming Railroad

Glatfelter Public Practice Insurance

Greyhound Lines, Inc.

I-95 Corridor Coalition

Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company

MA Port Authority (Massport)

RI Public Transit Authority

School Transportation Association of MA

Sprague Operation Resources LLC

Steamship Authority

Transportation Research Board National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)

State Commonwealth Fusion Center

CT Intelligence Center/State Police

MA Department of Transportation (MassDOT)

MA Emergency Management Agency

ME Department of Transportation

Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University

New England State Police Information Network

NH Information and Analysis Center

RI Fusion Center/State Police

VT Department of Public Safety

VT Intelligence Center/State Police

All six DOT states in the region

Industry and federal security partners

Briefings on emerging threats

Expertise on chemical threats

Overview of vehicle ramming attacks

Regional fusion center capabilities

Other intelligence resources

Incident Command System Training

In spring 2018, fusion centers across New England request that law enforcement and public safety personnel remain on heightened alert for threats, specifically to open-air venues.

Current State

Laconia Motorcycle Week

June 10, 20185 days before event

1:55 PM• Staff from a local motel report finding

photographs of the nearby Church Street Bridge and schematics of entry points to the swap meet in a guest’s trash

Swap Meet

June 15, 2018Day of the event

12:23 PM• Laconia police receive multiple

reports of a motorcoach or large delivery truck driving erratically up North Main Street toward crowds at the swap meet

Swap Meet

Vehicle

Lowell Folk Festival

LOWELLLOWELL

July 20, 20187 days before event

6:52 PM• The director of a MA research facility reports

the unusual activities of a chemist on her staff

• An inventory reveals missing chemicals and equipment

LOWELLLOWELL

July 27, 2018Day of the event

11:40 AM• MBTA security identify a chemical threat in

an unattended bag at the commuter rail station

• Security evacuates the facility, and a hazmat team arrives before any toxic release

Lowell Commuter Rail

Festival Entrance

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

June 1, 2018

Day of the event

6:03 PM

• Two assailants assault a Greyhound bus driver at the

Downtown Transit Center, hijack the bus, and drive it into

crowds entering the festival

Downtown Transit Center

Ramming

Cherry Street

June 1, 2018Day of the event

6:03 PM• The assailants exit the vehicle and proceed to stab concert-

goers before fleeing down College Street to a boat docked on Lake Champlain

Downtown Transit Center

Ramming

Docked Boat

Cherry Street

International Festival of Arts & Ideas

June 20, 2018Day before the event

8:10 PM• New Haven Police receive a tip that

an attack will occur at the festival

• When asked for further details, the tipster hangs up

New Haven Green

June 21, 2018Day of the event

6:15 PM• A garlic and onion odor floats

through the crowd at the New Haven Green

• Patrons disagree about the origin of the smell; some believe it’s from a tanker at State Street Station

• Patrons begin to exhibit a wide-array of symptoms at transportation hubs across the city

New Haven Green

State Street Station

Hall of Fame Tennis Championships

July 22, 2018Day of the event

2:29 PM• Shortly after takeoff from Newport

State Airport, a small aircraft deviates from its established flight plan

• After several unsuccessful attempts to contact the plane, air traffic control commences emergency procedures

Newport State Airport

July 22, 2018Day of the event

3:01 PM• The plane approaches the

International Tennis Hall of Fame and sprays an unknown chemical agent onto the spectators watching live tennis

Newport State Airport

International Tennis Hall of Fame

4.5 mi.

Exercise Observations

• Enhance DOT involvement in special event planning process

• Explore expanded use of Public Notification Platforms

• Ensure evacuation planning includes short and long term needs

• Review protocols for information sharing on suspicious activity

• Review thresholds for prevention and protection actions

• Review how all emergency support functions support ICS

• Continue to harness first responder mobility to mitigate impacts

• Continue to balance protective actions with potential hazards

Thank You!

Lorenzo G. Parra

Director- Highway Operations Center

MassDOT - Highway Division

50 Massport Haul Road

South Boston, MA 02210

617-946-3029

Lorenzo.parra@dot.state.ma.us