Traffic control during an emergency situation in the Cabell/Wayne Local Emergency Planning District is one of the most vital problems facing local emergency management, emergency communications and emergency response personnel. The = Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers and the terrain of the area limit the road network in = the District. Combined with urban population, business and industrial concentrations, there are a great many challenges to getting emergency site= s, evacuating persons from emergency impact areas, and diverting through traff= ic around emergency sites so that it does not impact upon the two prior challenges. Because of the limited road network the urban concentrations and challenges mentioned above, a practical Traffic Diversion Plan developed wi= th the assistance of state and local law enforcement agencies is a necessary emergency plan component.

Information in other C/WLEPC Plans and in the Cabell County and Wayne County Emergency Operations Plans will impact upon this Traffic Diversion Plan and where appropriate should be a consistent part of this Plan. Likewise, the Traffic Diversion Plan, where appropriate, should be used in conjunction with other C/WLEPC Plans and the Emergency Operation Plans of Cabell and Wayne Countie= s.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Plan is to outline basic traffic diversion activities that = can be applied to a wide variety of fixed facilities and transportation hazardo= us material emergencies. Such activities would be initiated immediately follow= ing notification to an Emergency Communications Center of an emergency situatio= n. The traffic diversion activities would be implemented by the West Virginia State Police; Cabell and Wayne County Sheriff’s Departments; and municipal police departments in Cabell and Wayne Counties. Because of the n= eed to implement Traffic Diversion Plan components as quickly as possible, the Traffic Diversion Plan as far as possible is designed to be implemented with normal on-duty law enforcement units. However, under certain circumstances,= it would be necessary to take administrative actions listed below to fully implement complete traffic diversion. The latter circumstances could delay = to some extent full implementation of the Plan.

Natural, technological, or civil emergencies could activate this Plan.

Traffic diversion activities would concern persons traveling, at their workplace, w= hile they are shopping, attending a recreational or cultural event, attending school, and so forth.

EMERGENCY SCHEDULING OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY PERSONNEL=

Upon notification of an emergency requiring the implementation of this Traffic Diversion Plan, the chief executive officer of each law enforcement agency involved shall analyze his agency’s

<= o:p>

E= MERGENCY SCHEDULING OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY PERSONNEL

manpower needs and shall, as necessary, keeping in mind the probable duration of the=

emergency and other non-cancelable activity needs:

&= nbsp; 1. = Call out off-duty personnel (including Police Reserve personnel if such exist),<= o:p>

2. &= nbsp; Extend tours of duty,

3. &= nbsp; Restructure shifts,

4. &= nbsp; Involve staff and support personnel,

5. &= nbsp; Involve investigative units personnel, and

6. &= nbsp; Cancel days off and vacations.

LOGICAL USE OF THE TRAFFIC DIVERSION PLAN<= /h2>

Obviously no Traffic Diversion Plan can anticipate all possible emergencies that may happen. Therefore logic and flexibility will be required to utilized this Traffic Diversion Plan effectively in meeting the traffic diversion needs o= f a particular emergency.

UTILIZATION OF NON-LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONN= EL

While traffic diversion is essentially a government law enforcement function, dur= ing the first period of an emergency situation, involving a major fixed facilit= y, facility security personnel are authorized to establish and maintain traffic diversion points until relieved by law enforcement personnel.

Firefighting personnel not immediately needed at the Emergency Incident Site may be assi= gned from the Staging Area by the Incident Commander through the Operations Chie= f, to assist with traffic diversion duties until relieved by law enforcement p= ersonnel.

UTILIZATION OF TRAFFIC DIVERSION PLAN

This Traffic Diversion Plan is formulated so as to assist the chief decision mak= ers that will be involved in making decisions during emergencies and during emergency resolution training exercises. They include the:

&n= bsp; 1. &n= bsp; Incident Commander,

&= nbsp; 2. = Operations Chief

3. &= nbsp; Incident Command Post Law Enforcement Staff Representative(s),

&nb= sp; 4. = Traffic Diversion and Security Branch Supervisor,

5. &= nbsp; Emergency Operations Room Coordinator,

6. &= nbsp; Emergency Operations Room Law Enforcement Staff Representative(s), and

7. &= nbsp; Law Enforcement agencies chief executives.

INITIAL ASSIGNMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT PERS= ONNEL

The Incident Commander, under West Virginia law, has the authority to direct the assignment of law enforcement personnel to traffic control/diversion points. However, because there may be a short term delay between the time an emerge= ncy is reported and the Incident Command Post is activated, the WV State Police= and county Sheriff’s Department(s) in the county(ies) the emergency initi= ally impacts and the municipal Police Department(s) in the municipality(ies) the emergency initially impacts have the authority to dispatch personnel from t= heir own law enforcement agencies to assignments outlined in this Traffic Divers= ion Plan and to any other logical assignment dictated by the emergency. When the Incident Command Post is activated, assignment of personnel reverts to the Incident Commander and his Operations Chief. On a prolonged or highly compl= ex emergency incident, the Incident Commander may delegate the assignments authority (but not the responsibility) to the Emergency Operations Room Coordinator and his law enforcement staff member(s).

R= EASSIGNMENT OF PERSONNEL RELIEVED FROM ACTIVE ASSIGNMENT

WV State Police troopers, Sheriff’s Department deputies from the county(= ies) in which the emergency area lies assigned to the emergency, and municipal Police Department police officers from the municipality(ies) in which the emergency area lies assigned to the emergency, upon release from an active assignment shall go to the emergency incident Staging Area and await reassignment by the Incident Commander through his Operations Chief. <= /o:p>

All other local law enforcement officers (those from counties and municipalities not directly impacted by the emergency, upon release from an active assignm= ent, shall return to their own jurisdictions’ authorities unless other arrangements have been made.

R= ELIEF OF INITIAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER ASSIGNMENTS BY WV

D= IVISION OF HIGHWAYS OR MUNICIPAL PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WITH

B= ARRICADES AND CONES

Where feasible, the WV Division of Highways or a municipal Public Works Department may install traffic diversion barricades, traffic diversion cones, and the related traffic diversion signs at logical traffic diversion points, thereby relieving law enforcement personnel assigned to these

points so that they may be utilized for other necessary law enforcement duties.

Obviously the use of traffic diversion barricades, cones, and the related signs will = be feasible only:

1. For l= onger term emergency incidents,

R= ELIEF OF INITIAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER ASSIGNMENTS BY WV

D= IVISION OF HIGHWAYS OR MUNICIPAL PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WITH

B= ARRICADES AND CONES (Continued)

&= nbsp; 2. &n= bsp; When the point does not require one-on-one traffic directions communications

&nbs= p; between a law enforcement officer and a vehicle driver,

&= nbsp; 3. &n= bsp; When traffic diversion direction enforcement is not needed, and,

4.= = When the WV Department of Highways or municipal Public Works Department has pre-arranged procedures established to properly install the barricades and = the related traffic control cones and signs.

It will be the responsibility of the Superintendent of the WV State Police and county Sheriff’s and municipal Police Chief’s involved in this Traffic Diversion Plan to work with the appropriate officials of the WV Division of Highways and/or municipal Public works Departments to arrange f= or procedures and equipment relative to barricades, cones, and signs.

U= TILIZATION OF TRAFFIC CONTROL BARRICADES AND CONES BY LAW

E= NFORCEMENT PERSONNEL

Law enforcement personnel at the direction by or permission of an authorized superior, who have traffic control barricades and/or cones available, may install them at logical points for traffic diversion purposes. Feasible poi= nts listed in the prior subsection will be used as guidelines for such traffic control activities.

LIAISON ASSIGNMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY REPRESENTATIVE

TO THE INCIDENT COMMAND POST AND THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

ROOM

<= /span>

The senior officer avai= lable from each local law enforcement agency involved in a particular traffic diversion operation will report to the Incident Command Post to serve on the Incident Commander’s staff and to liase with the other law enforcement agencies representatives present on traffic diversion matters. The chief law enforcement officer of the area involved (county or municipality) in the emergency or his representative will go to the appropriate Emergency Operat= ions Room (when and if activated) to assist in overall law enforcement coordinat= ion and support.

C= OMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN WV STATE POLICE AND THE INCIDENT

C= OMMAND POST AND THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER

Recognizing that at this time that the WV State Police are not on the same local radio = law enforcement emergency frequency as the County Sheriff’s Departments a= nd the municipal Police Departments, the WV State Police shall upon request of= the Incident Commander dispatch the nearest unit to the Incident Command Post so that the Incident Commander will have radio communication capabilities with= the WV State Police units involved in the emergency incident resolution. For lo= ng term emergency incidents the WV State Police shall dispatch a mobile Command Post/Communications Unit to relieve the first WVSP unit on the scene and provide command and communications assistance to the Incident Commander. Th= e WV State Police will also take such steps necessary to provide radio communications between the Emergency Operations Center and WVSP units assig= ned to the emergency.

EMERGENCY IDENTIFICATION

It is recognized that off-duty fixed facility personnel may be needed at an emergency incident involving a fixed facility, that essential fixed facility personnel at the scene may need to leave the Emergency Area, or that additi= onal off-duty personnel from public utilities involved in the emergency incident= may be needed at the Emergency Area.

Because of the above situations an emergency identification pass of a standard natu= re is needed so that the required personnel may pass through the traffic diver= sion points. For personnel of fixed facilities, the fixed facilities will be responsible for marking their personnel passes with an emergency access sym= bol or pass on the reverse side. All facilities are requested to notify the She= riff’s Department of their county of those persons so authorized. Official identification cards of essential non-emergency response state and local government personnel wishing to pass through a traffic diversion point will= be honored on a logical basis by the persons manning traffic diversion points. Official identification cards of public utilities employees needed at the Emergency Incident Site or Emergency Area will be honored in the same manne= r.

Public utilities vehicles and marked state and local government vehicles as well as marked involved facility vehicles may be passed through traffic diversion points without specific individual emergency passes or emergency identifica= tion cards.

NEWS MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE REFERRAL

Unless otherwise notified, personnel manning traffic diversion points will refer a= ll news media representatives to the Public Information Office which will norm= ally be established adjacent to

NEWS MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE REFERRAL (Continued)=

the appropriate Emergency Operations Room (if and when activated) or at another logical location away from the emergency incident and related emergency response operations.

CONCLUSION

In order not to endanger non-essential personnel at an emergency Incident Site= or Area and to keep roads into an emergency Incident Site or area accessible to emergency personnel entering and leaving and accessible to evacuees leaving= it is necessary to have a pre-planned Traffic Diversion Plan. Such a plan will assure that at the time of a natural, technological, or civil emergency the= re is a minimum of confusion created by the movement of people, equipment, vehicles, supplies, and materials.

INTRODUCTION