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| HART Maintenance upgrading lights at UATC |
HART has earned top honors from the
federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for its outstanding
security program. The prestigious "Gold Standard" designation is
bestowed on those agencies that show outstanding dedication and
accomplishment by building robust security as measured by the stringent
Baseline Assessments for Security Enhancement (BASE).
"It is an honor to be included in this prestigious list," said HART Chief Executive Officer Katharine Eagan.
"It's a real testament not only to the hard work of our safety staff,
but also to the 650 professional Operators, maintainers, servicers,
technicians, supervisors, and dispatchers who make safety and security
their priority every day."
As
TSA Acting Administrator Melvin Carraway stated in an official press
release, "These agencies are to be commended for their commitment and
hard work that this level of achievement requires and for their
continued dedication to ensure the security of travelers nationwide."
The
BASE program is a comprehensive voluntary review of transit security,
developed to help transit systems across the USA increase domain
awareness, enhance prevention and protection capabilities, and elevate
response preparedness. BASE focuses on multiple categories including
agency security plans; security training; drills and exercise programs;
public outreach efforts, and background checks.
The
TSA conducts BASE reviews every three years. The review examines
written processes as well as security procedures that agencies have put
into
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| HART recently participated in a safety drill with HCFR |
practice to help keep employees, customers, and facilities safe
from terrorist attacks.
HART
was honored with the Gold Standard Award in 2011, scoring 98%. During
the most recent evaluation in 2014 HART raised that score to 99%.
Staff
in the HART Safety and Security Department work closely with
Hillsborough County Emergency Management in case of a hurricane or other
local emergencies, and they coordinate drills and activities with the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Tampa Police Department, Tampa
Fire and Rescue, and other agencies.
In addition to HART, Virginia Railway Express in Northern
Virginia; the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in
Washington, DC; the Metropolitan Transit Authority's Long Island Rail
Road in New York; and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority in St.
Petersburg, FL were also recognized for achieving the Gold Standard.
In
addition to these five agencies, there have been 42 others that have
previously earned the Gold Standard Award level of security since 2010.
