BACKGROUND

NCHRP Research Report 1093: An Emergency Management Playbook for State Transportation Agencies (EM Playbook) is a practical guide for developing and maintaining a transportation agency’s emergency management program. The EM Playbook includes key capabilities and activities to assist an agency in performing critical emergency management actions. The EM Playbook provides concise information designed to enable agencies to enhance their existing emergency management programs and offers ways to improve their "plays" to address gaps, contingencies, or new hazards. The EM Playbook can help transportation emergency managers understand, plan, and implement emergency preparedness programs that fit agencies' needs, capabilities, and challenges.

Supplemental to the EM Playbook are basic training materials for transportation leaders and presenters. The training materials are divided into topic modules designed to represent manageable chunks of training. The topic modules generally follow the chapters of the EM Playbook, and each play has its own module. 

State departments of transportation (DOTs) need training on how they can use the EM Playbook and training materials at their agencies, and a train-the-trainer program can accomplish this. An example of a successful train-the-trainer program is the National Traffic Incident Management Responder Train-the-Trainer Program developed in the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2); this strategy includes in-person and virtual training.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this research are to (a) develop a train-the-trainer program and materials based on the EM Playbook that can be delivered in person and virtually and (b) conduct at least four national virtual train-the-trainer workshops and at least one in-person train-the-trainer workshop at a national event.

STATUS: Work has been initiated. The draft final deliverable is expected in September 2026.