32 DECEMBER 2018 • FOGHORN SAFETYMATTERS By Eric Christensen, Director of Regulatory Affairs and Risk Management I f you are looking to take your security exercise game up a notch or two, look no further than the Transportation SecurityAdministration (TSA). PVA and TSA have a solid working relationship in a number of areas, and training has been one of the more rewarding area of coopera- tion. PVA has maintained an inventory of TSA-produced training DVDs on subjects from crowd control to identify- ing improvised explosive devises that members can order free of charge. In addition, the DVD content is available free to all PVA members through the PVA Learning Management System online portal. The portal can be accessed at http://marinels.com. TSA offers more direct assistance for planning and executing required security drills and exercises through the Intermodal Security Training and Exercise Program (I-STEP). I-STEP was first introduced to PVA members a few years ago at the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2016 in Washington, DC. I-STEP I-STEP is the TSA program for conducting transportation security training and exercises across all modes of transportation. I-STEP brings public and private sector partners together to provides exercise, training, and security planning tools and services to the trans- TSA Resources for Planning Security Exercises We NY, too! We NY, too! portation community. The program focuses on the security nexus of the intermodal transportation environ- ment, serving mass transit, freight rail, pipeline, port and intermodal, highway and motor carrier, and aviation modes. Working in partnership with the transportation modes, I-STEP enables security partners to: • Enhance security capabilities – Strengthen plans, policies, and procedures; clarify roles and respon- sibilities; validate planning needs; and strengthen grant proposals. • Build partnerships – Develop re- lationships with regional transit players and other stakeholders. • Gain insights in transportation security – Network with peers to gain a deeper understanding of security lessons learned and best practices. I-STEP is the only federal exercise program to focus on the security nexus of the intermodal transportation en- vironment. As a result, the program reduces risk to individual systems as well as the entire transportation network. Lessons learned from I-STEP exercises, training events, and workshops are disseminated to exercise participants not only to help them improve their security posture, but also shape national transportation security policy. Since I-STEP is used by all modes within the transportation sector, and funding can be limited, there are one or two annual opportunities for vessel operators to participate. That said, PVA companies such as Entertainment