Ise 515 - Chapter 4 and 5

ISE 515

Homework 2

CHAPTER 3

1. The Wreckmaster at a New York subway accident

Question 1: In what phase of the disaster plan does providing for alternate services probably occur? In what phase does bringing new equipment and supplies occur?? 

In case of an emergency, NYCTA rushes for an appointment of a Project Master for making sure that activities resurface to a normal level. In the present scenario the aim was to make the subway usable for the public by Tuesday Morning when the rush shall be at its peak after a long weekend holiday. In the Phase 6, repair of the facilities are started at the initial phase. This is to ensure that the normal and continuing use can take place at the earliest. This is done by providing for alternate services. So, in this case, buses were made available as a public transport facility. Another route which served the same purpose as the subway does was made more accessible. In the next phase that is Phase 7, all facilities were made fully operational and safe. Removing the wreckage from one track to let work trains reach the site of the disaster. The trains carried needed materials to the site. This was done under the watchful abilities of operations, engineering and safety.

Question 2: How much preplanning could be done for wrecks such as these in terms of disaster teams, command center locations, task sequencing, and so on?

In case of any kind of natural as well as man-made disaster, proper planning has to be required in order to reduce the magnitude of the loss. The person has to be appointed so that it can supervise the rescue operations.  As the crash was heard, approx. 40 officers rushed off to help the passengers. Then District 2 officers, Emergency Management and the guys from the fire department came to aid. Fans were used by the fire department to clear away the smoke. Steel cables were used to manage the wreckage. Buses were used in transportation to the hospitals and the wounded and injured were provided food and drink by a non-profit organization. Since a disaster can be anticipated, the required personnel can be trained and appointed prior to the happening of any disaster. Thus, good amount of preplanning can happen to constitute disaster teams. The locations for issuing commands are generally located nearby the disaster site. Thus not much planning can be done with respect to the same. But it should regularly monitor the possible conditions of the risk. A general framework can be laid down in case of task sequencing. But most of the times, the situation would decide the task sequencing. In the present case, person L formulated a flow of actions to be performed for disaster operation.

Question 3: What experience credentials does NYCTA look for in appointing wreckmasters?

NYCTA appointed person L who was serving as the General Superintendent of the track operations, as the Wreckmaster. Wreck master is like an individual who takes charge of the situation in case of crisis or particular disaster.

The following are the points to be considered while appointing a wreck master that are mentioned below:

1) Someone that could take the charge of the situation like the way L appointed team captains to coordinate the different activities of the disaster operation. 2) An individual capable of establishing the required setup, this was done by putting in place a command center in close proximity to the disaster site to coordinate and direct the rescue operations. 3) Then, the ability to quickly conceive the plan of action is required. L formulated a flow of actions to be performed for disaster operation. The flow of the activities must be kept under consideration. Some activities are to be initiated in priority as compared to the others. Some other can happen simultaneously. 4) An individual who can coordinate frequent communication was the need of the hour. The person L conducted regular meetings for all the parties involved. This allowed regular updates to be passed on to the parties. Information on the progress made so far and the actions pending was circulated.