Preparedness Statement

As a federally funded transit operation, Access is trained and prepared under the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and subscribes to the principals of the Incident Command System (ICS).  ICS is a management system designed to enable effective and efficient incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure.  ICS is structured to facilitate activities in five major functional areas: command, operations, planning, logistics and finance and administration. It is a fundamental form of management, with the purpose of enabling incident managers to identify the key concerns associated with the incident — often under urgent conditions — without sacrificing attention to any component of the command system.  In the event of an emergency or disaster, Access is prepared to provide transportation evacuation services to the disabled community though coordination with Metro and the County of Los Angeles Emergency Operations Center as well as other local emergency management partners, such as the City of Los Angeles.

Training

All Access Contractor Drivers are required to complete emergency preparedness training as well as annual refresher training. Supervisors and Managers are required to complete NIMS ICS courses 100, 200 and 700 which combined take about 9 hours to complete. Key staff is required to complete additional training requirements.

Coordination/TransMAC

Access works closely with city and emergency management county agencies. Access is included as a transportation resource in the Los Angeles County Operational Area's Concept of Operations.

Access is also a member of TransMAC, a mutual assistance compact of 24 Southern California transit agencies in which Agency staff have taken a leading role. TransMAC provides a framework for transit agencies to work together for the benefit of our whole community, including but not limited to:

• Establishing relationships between transit agencies that might otherwise not interact in advance of need
• Holding meetings where emergency management knowledge sharing takes place
• Maintaining a framework to enable the member agencies to work seamlessly together in the event of an emergency
• Collaborate on an operations guide to share operational details such as fleet information and agency capabilities

Emergency Operations

Access is capable of activating an Emergency Operations Center during times of disaster or emergency to plan, coordinate and respond to transportation needs. Our EOC has been activated in recent years for wildfires, civil unrest and COVID-19 response. During the pandemic, Access contractors delivered over 430,000 meals to Angelinos experiencing food insecurity. The agency also facilitated vaccination efforts with transportation to drive-thru vaccination sites. A significant part of Access’ emergency response is Communications, which is supported by traditional methods and augmented by two-way radio, and an advanced mass notification system.

Access Rider Preparedness

Access encourages its riders to be prepared for emergencies, both at home and while riding. The web links provided below offer a plethora of emergency preparedness tips.