When the recent ice storms came sweeping down the plains of south-west Oklahoma, the Comanche Na-tion heeded the call.
“The ice storm of January 28, 2010, proved to be the first real test of the Comanche Nation’s emergency management system,” according to Anthony Kemp, Program Support As-sistant for the Comanche Nation.
“Our staff and drivers at Transporta-tion/Transit contributed to the ef-fort with manpower and vehicles,” continued Kemp. “Anybody who needed transportation or help getting to shelter was assisted. We had very brave Comanche Nation Transit bus operators, delivering hot meals, blan-kets, water, medicine, generators and other crucial supplies to the outlying, rural areas of our tribal jurisdiction.”
The tribe set up 4 shelters across the area and many of its EMS team mem-bers put in 16-hour days. The shel-ters provided food, water, and heat. Program directors became emergency response personnel, delivering water, checking on elders, and transporting food and other supplies.
“It’s really tiring,” said Donna Wah-nee of the Comanche Nation EMS.
Also, the tribe’s Transportation De-partment provided heavy equipment to the relief effort. An emergency generator powered the transportation building and had the fuel pumps up and running very quickly in antici-pation of the flood of relief workers who would need fuel. Services were provided, not only for tribal mem-bers, but for all persons in distress.
Around 20 maintenance crews were
Comanche Nation comes through in ice stormalso dispatched to sites to begin clearing away brush from fallen tree limbs weighted down by inches of ice that was later padded with snow. The tribe’s firefighting crews were also called in to participate in emergency efforts.
Because of the successful implementa-tion of their emergency management plan, the state now recognizes the Comanche Nation as an EMS staging area. The tribe was able to get their plan up and running in less than 48 hours and they have enough space to house truckloads of supplies.
The tribe also paid for a good amount of the services themselves, tapping into their reserve funds for the crisis. The Red Cross, along with the Salva-tion Army, also stepped in to supple-ment the meals.
“A lot of people enjoy winning thou-sands of dollars at our casinos and that‘s what’s helped us put these plans into place, and that’s what’s helped us
service everybody,” said Comanche Nation Chairman Michael Burgess.
While the plan went well, the Coman-che Nation says there are a few things they can improve if and when a natural disaster such as this happens again.
“I’m talking about communications, I’m talking about mobility. Even our command center, we’re looking at how we can create our mobile command center,” said Burgess.
Kattie Noffsker, Executive Director, American Red Cross Lawton Chapter, said the tribe contacted them months in advance to consult on emergency preparedness. The tribe then became a partner agency in the Red Cross effort to provide emergency services.
“It’s nice to know that the Comanche Nation has resources that we can rely on to serve the public in a time of need,” Nossker said.(Contributions from kswo.com and S. E. Ruckman,Indian Country Today)
Miles and miles of ice line the roads in southwest Oklahoma.(Photo by Susan Putney-Wheeler)
Page 2 OSU TTAP NEWS Winter 2010
Tim Ramirez, Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation, 785-966-2375 [email protected] Will Owens, Comanche Nation, 580-492-3798, [email protected] Jay Adams, ODOT, 405-521-2175 [email protected] Ben Chaney, Muscogee Nation, 918-732-7907 bchaney@muscogeenation- nsn-gov Ray Ball, Kaw Tribe, 580-269-2552 [email protected] Chuck Tsoodle, Kiowa Tribe, 580-654-2053 [email protected] Michael Lynn, Cherokee Nation, 918-456-0671 x 2761 R.J. Walker, Osage Nation, 918-287-5387 [email protected] Tom Simpson, BIA Southern Plains Regional Office, 405-247-6386 [email protected] Chris Cutler, Semnole Nation, 405-257-7294, [email protected]
Published quarterly by the Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) Center at the Center for Local Government Technology, (CLGT), Oklahoma State University. Sponsored jointly by the Federal Highway Administration and the Bureau of IndianAffairs. Editor: Karla Sisco [email protected]
The OSU TTAP Center Advisory Committee meets periodically to discuss training and program needs, upcoming events, and other TTAP Center business. These meet-ings are open and all tribal mem-bers are welcome.
OSU TTAP Center Advisory Committee
Page 3 OSU TTAP NEWS Winter 2010
Making sense of income statements and balance sheets is just one of the topics which will be covered, as the OSU
TTAP conducts a Basic Account-ing class on March 23-24, at 5202 N. Richmond Hill Dr, Stillwater, OK.
This course covers basic accounting language, balance sheets and income statements, the accounting equation, accrual accounting, account classifica-tion, and other accounting principles
and operations.
Designed for non-accounting professionals, the course will give participants and better understanding of financial management and communications.
To sign up, go to our website at http://ttap.okstate.edu and click on “Training Schedule.” For more information, contact Jim Self at 405-744-6049.
Basic Accounting Class set at OSU TTAP
A deer looks over snowy Prairie Band Potawatomi Country .Photo by Tim Ramirez
Population growth across the southwest region brings with it congestion and environmental challenges, increased connectiv-ity needs for an aging population, economic and land use challenges, and employment concerns.
South West Transit Association (SWTA) holds it annual conference to address some of the complexities that many communities face. This year, SWTA’s 30th An-nual Conference and Expo, held February 8-10 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, offered many exciting opportunities to hear and learn from the industry’s finest.
Speakers included Peter Rogoff, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Ad-ministrator; Dale Marsico,
Community Transportation Asso-ciation of America (CTAA), Execu-tive Director; George Manning, PhD, Department of Psychology, Northern Kentucky University; and Mayor Pat McCrory, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Topics covered during the meet-ings included connectivity, authorization, ARRA, funding options, resilience, and transit oriented development.
“I thought the annual confer-ence was a huge success!” stated Angie Gilliam, Transit Manager, Chickasaw Nation. “I am always so impressed with the sessions and presenters that are at the conference. I personally enjoyed Former Governor of North Carolina, McCrory’s presentation and the Resilience presentation, among others.”
Area tribes represented at SWTA Gilliam continued, “I feel that SWTA and Kristen Joyner put on a very helpful and useful conference. I always go home energized with great ideas to share with our staff and tribe!”
Russ Parish, Arkansas Transit As-sociation, presented a train-the-trainer workshop, Safety Training and Rural Transit (START). During the train-ing, Parrish, demonstrated wheelchair securement equipment from Sure-Lok and Q-Straint.
The conference was capped off with the SWTA Awards Dinner Extravaganza held at the Gerald Peters Art Gallery. (By Karla Sisco, OSU TTAP)
Outside the Cathedral Basilica, one of the center-pieces of the Santa Fe Plaza.
Peter Rogoff, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, highlighted Tuesday’s Southwest Transit Association (SWTA) meeting on February 9, with a report entitled, “The Latest News from the Federal Transit Adminis-tration.”
In his comments, Rogoff stated, “The Recovery Act efforts are about putting people to work and making investments in peoples’ lives.”
“We are trying to turn the ship. We have lots of work to do,” Rog-off continued. “Our budget has spiked by 80 percent.”
In regard to recovery funds and allocations, Rogoff said that 89 percent of money is out the door. “Over 10,500 vehicles have been purchased with these funds,“ explained Rogoff. “With these funds, jobs have not only been created, they have been saved.”
Rogoff also mentioned the “Jobs for Mainstreet Act,” which would keep the recovery efforts going. This bill redirects $75 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) savings from Wall Street to Main Street to fund infrastruc-ture and job investments, which will further stabilize jobs and provide additional emergency funding to help families who are suffering.
Boosting transit ridership, reduc-ing greenhouse gases, and lessen-ing our depen-dence on foreign oil were over-whelming themes throughout Rog-off’s address. As the country moves forward on these initia-tives, he stressed the importance of improving data collection so transit can better address the needs of our changing population.
According to Rogoff, safety will always be a top priority in all transit programs. Rogoff stressed the industry’s need to retain skilled people in their programs. Also, safety advisory committees will be formed consisting of gov-ernment agency representatives, as well as commercial partners. These groups will address safety concerns and other priority transit issues.
“Livability” is another term that FTA will continue to embrace. According to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, “Creating livable com-munities will result in improved quality of life for all Americans and create a more efficient and more accessible transportation network that serves the needs of individual communities.”
The Partnership for Sustainable Communities has established six livability principles that will act as a foundation for interagency coordination:
1. Provide more transporta-tion choices.
2. Promote equitable, afford-able housing.
3. Enhance economic com-petitiveness.
4. Support existing commu-nities
5. Coordinate policies and leverage investment.
6. Value communities and neighborhoods.
For more information on these livability principles and the Inter-agency Partnership for Sustain-able Communities, go to http://www.dot.gov/affairs/brief-ing.htm
Rogoff addresses SWTA Conference
FTA Administrator, Peter Rogoff, addresses attendees at the SWTA conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico in February.
An investigation continues into the trench collapse that killed two construction work-ers near McLoud on February 16.
The Tecumseh men died after being trapped in a 20-foot hole that collapsed as they were digging a septic tank as part of a Kickapoo tribal housing project.
The construction workers were identified as Justin Johnson, 32, and Keith Had-dox, 44, said Cherokee Bal-lard, spokeswoman for the state medical examiner’s office.
The Kickapoo Tribe of Okla-homa is conducting an inves-tigation into the construc-tion-related accident, which occurred just after 2 p.m. Tuesday, February 16, in its tribal housing addition along U.S. 62, near SH 102 in Lin-coln County.
Kickapoo Police Chief Jason Tillery confirmed Thursday that Haddox was an employee of the Kickapoo Tribal Hous-ing Authority, while Johnson was reported to be a sub-contractor working on the project.
According to Tillery, investigators are continuing to take witness statements as part of this probe. The tribe is cooperating with federal authorities, including the U.S. Labor Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Grief counseling has been made available for tribal employees, and members are also gathering donations for the families.
“The tribal community is deeply saddened by this trag-edy,” said Tribal Chairperson Marilyn Winsea. “Our prayers are with the families of both individuals.”
Following the trench collapse, a rescue operation unfolded, but it soon became a recov-ery mission that continued into the overnight hours to retrieve the bodies of the two workers.
Jacktown Fire Chief Greg Ford said the two men were digging for a septic tank when the walls around them col-lapsed and they became bur-ied by two tons of dirt. Before firefighters from both Jack-town and Southwest Lincoln
County Fire District arrived, Ford said coworkers report-edly tried to dig the men out with their own hands.
Firefighters began using shovels and a construction backhoe to help shore up the walls. At one time during the intense rescue efforts, five to seven firefighters were in the hole digging and another seven to 10 rescuers outside, the chief said.
With so much loose dirt, Ford said they had difficulties, and they didn’t have the equip-ment to move the dirt and keep the men from suffocat-ing.
Both bodies were pulled from the trench by 10:30 p.m., Tuesday.
To assist the men’s fami-lies, memorial bank funds have been set up in each of their names at Arvest Bank in Shawnee. Donations can be made at any Arvest Bank location, or can be sent to Arvest Bank, P.O. Box 1089, Shawnee, OK 74802-1089.
Trench collapse claims two at Kickapoo tribal housing project
Page 6 OSU TTAP NEWS Winter 2010
Sloping and trenching guidelines demonstrated
Excavation and trenching are among the most hazardous con-struction operations. The impor-tance of identifying and predicting hazards and taking corrective mea-sures to control them during this activity will be outlined in the Ex-cavation Safety Course offered by the Oklahoma LTAP on Thursday, April 1, at Francis Tuttle Technol-ogy Center in Oklahoma City.
OSHA defines an excava-tion as any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in the earth’s surface formed by earth removal. A trench is defined as a narrow under-ground excavation that is deeper than it is wide, and is no wider than 15 feet (4.5 meters).
Dangers of Trenching and ExcavationCave-ins pose the great-est risk and are much more likely to result in worker fatali-ties than other excavation-related accidents. Other potential hazards include falls, falling loads, hazard-ous atmospheres, and incidents in-volving mobile equipment. Trench collapses cause dozens of fatalities and hundreds of injuries each year.
Protect YourselfDo not enter an unprotected trench! Trenches 5 feet (1.5 meters) deep or greater require a protective sys-tem unless the excavation is made entirely in stable rock. Trenches 20 feet (6.1 meters) deep or greater require that the protective system be designed by a registered
professional engineer or be based on tabulated data prepared and/ or approved by a registered profes-sional engineer.
Protective SystemsThere are different types of protec-tive systems. Sloping involves cut-ting back the trench wall at an angle inclined away from the excavation. Shoring requires installing alumi-num hydraulic or other types of
supports to prevent soil movement and cave-ins. Shielding protects workers by using trench boxes or other types of supports to prevent soil cave-ins. Designing a protec-tive system can be complex because many factors must be considered: soil classification, depth of cut, wa-ter content of soil, changes due to weather or climate, surcharge loads (eg., spoil, other materials to be used in the trench) and other opera-tions in the vicinity.
Competent PersonTo ensure elimination of excavation hazards, OSHA standards require that a competent person inspect
trenches daily, prior to worker entry, and as conditions change. A competent person is an individual who is capable of identifying exist-ing and predictable hazards, while monitoring working conditions that are hazardous, unsanitary, or dangerous to employees. The person must also be authorized to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate or control these hazards and conditions.
Access and EgressOSHA requires safe access and egress to all excava-tions, including ladders, steps, ramps, or other safe means of exit for employees working in trench excava-tions 4 feet (1.22 meters) or deeper. These devices must be located within 25 feet (7.6 meters) of all workers.
General Trenching and Excavation Rules
• Keep heavy equipment away from trench edges.• Keep surcharge loads at least 2 feet (0.6 meters) from trench edges.• Know where underground utilities are located. • Test for low oxygen, hazar- dous fumes and toxic gases. • Inspect trenches at the start of each shift.• Inspect trenches following a rainstorm. • Do not work under raised loads.
Trenching and Excavation Safety class coming to OKC
(By Karla Sisco, OSU TTAP)
Page 7 OSU TTAP NEWS Winter 2010
10 Hour OSHA Training offered for area tribes
(By Karla Sisco, OSU TTAP)
A total of 24 participants attend-ed OSHA 10 Hour Training for the Roadway Construction Industry on January 26-27 at Oklahoma State University Institute for Technol-ogy at Okmulgee, OK. OSU- TTAP sponsored the program focused exclusively on the problems and hazards faced by roadway con-struction workers.
Instructed by Jerry Teeler, Director of Safety and Health for American Road & Transportation Builder’s Association (ARTBA), the class focused on case studies and partici-pant activities geared toward situ-ations that roadway construction supervisors and workers are likely to encounter in their day-to-day work activities.
This first-of-its-kind training pro-gram is intended to provide com-prehensive, basic worker safety and health training that meets the re-quirements set forth by the OSHA Training Institute for accreditation as an OSHA 10-Hour Outreach Training Program. As required by OSHA, program instructors must be trained and currently accredited by OSHA and/or one of its
approved training centers in order to issue OSHA 10-Hour training cards.
The Roadway Work Zone Con-struction Course provides an overview of 11 key construction work zone-related safety and health topics:
1. Introduction to OSHA2. Roadway Work Zones3. Personal Protective Equipment High Visibility Clothing4. Collisions5. Night Work 6. Mechanized Equipment7. Electrical Safety8. Excavation and Trenching9. Confined Spaces10. Fall Prevention and Protection11. Occupational Health and Environmental Controls
When a person speaks of safety in the roadway construction industry, the word “safety” can mean many different things, depending upon one’s perspective and experience. Unfortunately, principles of traffic safety and worker safety have often been treated separately –where traffic safety advocates and worker
safety advocates have failed to “talk across barricades” and un-derstand how the activities of one group impact the safety and health of the other.
Such actions are evidenced insituations such as maintainingtraffic speeds through work zones and performing more roadwayconstruction at night. While theseefforts increase safety for motor-ists, they potentially create more hazardous environments forworkers.
This training program wasdeveloped to “cross the barricades” and promote safety in a compre-hensive manner. It combines the principles of traffic and worker safety into one program that is aimed atpromoting safety on both sides of the barricades.
Jerry Teeler has held the position of Director of Safety and Health for ARTBA since February of 2004.
10 Hour OSHA Training attendees at Oklahoma State University Institute for Technology in Okmulgee, OK
Page 8 OSU TTAP NEWS Winter 2010
Distracted driving was a hot topic at the recent Transporta-tion Research Board meetings held in Washington, D.C., January 9-14, 2010. Panelists from federal government, academic and law enforcement backgrounds shared a variety of opinions and evoked diverse reactions from participants as the subject was discussed.
Peter H. Appel, Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) moderated the discussion. Since joining RITA, Appel has worked with Secretary Ray LaHood to advance key U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) initiatives by leveraging effective research and cross-modal coordination.
The session brought attention to the U.S. Department of Transporta-tion’s strong response to America’s call to end the dangerous practice of distracted driving on our nation’s roadways. Distracted driving is a serious, life-threatening practice, and Department of Transportation officials emphasized that they are making all efforts to stop it.
Although the Department is lead-ing the effort by example, officials stress that citizens themselves are the key to preventing distracted driving. The message concerning cell phone use while driving is simple – Put it down!
The Department will work across the spectrum with private and public entities as well as advocacy
groups to tackle distracted driving.
First steps were taken on December 30, 2009, with the effective date of President Obama’s Executive Order on distracted driving, which prohibited more than 4 million fed-eral employees from texting behind the wheel while working or while using government vehicles and communications devices.
Secretary LaHood also unveiled a new national television PSA and website, at http://distraction.gov/,
to get the word out on the dangers of distracted driving.
“Every time we climb into the driv-er’s seat, we all have a responsibil-ity for keeping our roads safe by putting away cell phones and other distractions,” said Secretary La-Hood. “I am proud that the federal government is leading by example, and encourage others to think about how they can set a safety example in their communities whether it’s through employee policies, safety awareness campaigns, or just mak-ing sure your teen driver knows the risks.”
Internally, the department’s agen-cies are already working together to share knowledge and promote a
greater understanding of the issue, and identify additional strategies to end distracted driving.
On January 30, 2019, LaHood announced federal guidance to expressly prohibit texting by driv-ers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses.
“We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the roads with them to be safe,” said Secretary LaHood. “This is an im-portant safety step and we will be taking more to eliminate the threat of distracted driving.”
The action is the result of the De-partment’s interpretation of stand-ing rules. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.
“Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab,” said Anne Ferro, Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Ad-ministration (FMCSA). “We want to make it crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to prohibit.”
~~~~Upcoming events~~~~ Basic Accounting March 23-24 OSU TTAP, Stillwater
RIFDS Training April 6-7 OSU TTAP, Stillwater
CDL Exam Prep Class April 13-14 PBP Nation - Mayetta, KS
OK Tribal Transportation April 27-28 Reed Center - Midwest City, OK Safety Summit
CTAA Conference May 22-27 Long Beach, CA (Community Transportation Association of America)
FMCSA research shows that driv-ers who send and receive text mes-sages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting. At 55 miles per hour, this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road. Drivers who text while driving are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers. Because of the safety risks associated with the use of electronic devices while driv-ing, FMCSA is also working on additional regulatory measures that will be announced in the coming months.
During the September 2009 Dis-tracted Driving Summit, the
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Secretary announced the Depart-ment’s plan to pursue this regula-tory action, as well as rulemakings to reduce the risks posed by dis-tracted driving.
The regulatory guidance on the announcement is on public display in the Federal Register January 26 and appeared in print in the Federal Register on January 27.
The State of Oklahoma followed suit beginning (Feb. 1), as all state employees are prohibited from tex-ting or text messaging while driv-ing government issued vehicles, while driving a private vehicle on government business, and when using electronic equipment sup-plied by the state while they are driving.
The executive order issued by Governor Brad Henry applies to all individuals employed by the State of Oklahoma, including employees of state universities.
The order applies to all SMS tex-ting, e-mailing, instant messaging, obtaining navigational information or engaging in any other form of electronic data retrieval or electron-ic data communication.
The public can follow the progress of the U.S. Department of Transpor-tation in working to combatdistracted driving, go to:http://distraction.gov/
Join us as we come together to discuss transportation safety issues affecting Oklahoma’s tribal communities. Be part of the discussion as we seek solutions to reduce fatalities and injuries on our roadways.
The Summit will engage stakeholders on a statewide and local level, representing engineering, enforcement, education, andemergency response/management.
Both days will include plenary sessions followed by breakout groups for more detailed discussions among participants. In the evening of day one, roundtables will be held for participants to learn more about the variousresources available to tribes to pursue the strat-egies and initiatives generated at theSummit.
Tuesday 5:00 pm to 7:00 pmReception, Networking, Roundtables
“Coordination, Collaboration, and Communication for Safer Tribal Roads”
You areinvited to theOklahoma TribalTransportation Safety Summit
Partners:Oklahoma Tribal Transportation CouncilTribal Advisory BoardOklahoma Department of TransportationFederal Highway AdministrationBureau of Indian AffairsNHTSA - Region 6
Tuesday 12:30 pm - Wednesday 12:00 pm April 27-28, 2010
Click here to register: Oklahoma Tribal Transportation Safety Summit
OSU TTAP Center5202 N. Richmond Hill Dr.Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-6049Fax: 405-744-7268
http://ttap.okstate.edu
The U.S. Congress and the Federal HighwayAdministration (FHWA) are placing increasingemphasis on the importance of maintenance – inparticular, preventive maintenance – for extendingthe service life of our Nation’s bridges.
In support of that effort, Sr. Structural EngineerClaude Napier of the FHWA Resource Center wasrecently asked by the Baltimore-Washington Chapterof the National Association of Corrosion Engineers(NACE) to address the issue of preservation and themaintenance of bridges at the 1st Annual CorrosionAssessment Conference.
Napier talked to the group about the major causes ofbridge failures. He gave examples of bridge failuresand spoke about challenges that bridge and mainte-nance engineers face, deterioration mechanisms,funding for maintenance, the role that designers play
in extending the service life of bridges, and other top-ics.
Subsequently, Napier was tapped to serve on the Plan-ning Committee for the NACE International 2010 Eastern Area Conference, October 12-15, 2010 in Alexandria, VA. The theme for the conference will be “New Policies and Directions for Corrosion Challeng-es in Challenging Times.” The event will be organized into four major tracks: defense facilities, pipeline, transportation infrastructure and water/waste water facilities.
For more information on bridge preservation andmaintenance, contact:Claude NapierSr. Structural EngineerFHWA Resource Center(804) 775-3327
Need to learn more about bridge preservation and maintenance?
