School Transportation News Magazine | September 2009
[Editorial Desk] Security is Everyone’s Business With July 29 being the final and least strenuous day of the STN EXPO, I was able to spend a
good amount of time in TSA’s First Observer training module. Te multi-hour course gave at- tendees a first look on the evolution of School Bus Watch (SBW) since the American Trucking Associations lost the bid last year to HMS Company. Te course, according to many I talked to, was very similar to SBW, but there were noticeable changes. But, to me, it was all new. I will not — with respect to HMS and TSA — speak of any of the specifics of the training. It was
By Stephane Babcock
eye opening to say the least and strengthened my belief that school bus drivers can act as a com- munity’s first line of defense against not only terrorists but child abductions and other criminal activity that takes place daily in cities and towns all over the country. As First Observer trainer Robert Hertan pointed out, “It is those things that are out of the ordinary that trigger your brain.” A student who has never ridden your bus before, an adult waiting at the stop to whom you have never introduced yourself, a car sitting across the street that just looks out of place — those are just a few examples of the things that give you pause and make you ask questions, and only a rare few have the answers. It is the second glance that is most important; the one in which you notice the gender, age and
other descriptive details of the stranger at the stop or the color, make and model of that car sit- ting across the street. Now, I am not suggesting that you call in every car that looks out of place or “take down” someone at a school bus stop who has a very legitimate reason for being there. You can be observant without being paranoid. You need to trust your instincts — that feeling you get in your gut when something doesn’t feel right. We all have it, and we all need to use it more. My “gut feeling” has kept me out of danger on more than one occasion. While keeping those around you safe, you must keep yourself safe from harm as well, some-
thing that was emphasized during the First Observer training. You can assess a situation without putting yourself at risk. Instead of walking up to that parked car and calling the driver out for his or her behavior, let the trained professionals do their jobs. Take down all the information you can from a distance and then call your local law enforcement and give them all the details. Although First Observer was the only class that I was able to sit through with almost no inter-
ruption, it was not the only EXPO workshop I took in. Tere were numerous classes that I was able to catch chunks of here and there during our five-day stint in Reno. Te new pre-cons were interesting and gave a whole new meaning to the danger zone both around the bus and at the bus stop. Most important lesson from the day: if your children feel as though they are being fol- lowed, tell them to run and find a woman with children. Ten there was the threat assessment update. Attendees I spoke to were not surprised to hear
that the report, although complete, would not be available to the industry until January 2010. Te TSA — specifically Highway and Motor Carrier General Manager Bill Arrington — has not shied away from the critics who wonder if the industry will ever see the final report to Congress on school bus vulnerability. After speaking with Arrington on a number of occasions, I can only say one thing: it’s not his fault. I have heard from the peanut gallery time and time again on the subject and most of the negative comments are primarily lobbed in Arrington’s direction, as if he is the final word on the report’s release. As almost all of us have experienced, there is always someone else who has the final say. Drivers report to transportation directors, who answer to superintendents, who answer to the school board. Tis same hierarchy exists on every level of the federal government. But, I still believe that there will be no real surprises in the report. We all understand that
school buses and public transportation are soft targets. We all understand that a terrorist attack on a school bus would be a horrific event that would affect everyone, not just those intimately linked to the students onboard. Tis report, when it is finally released, should act as a rallying cry to the feds that school buses need the same protection as other forms of public transportation. And that protection must come from the top, down. n
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