DECEMBER 2018 • FOGHORN 33 SAFETYMATTERS Cruises, Valley Railroad Company, and Transdev have taken advantage of the opportunity to work with the I-STEP folks on annual security exercises. For those members looking for something a little less grand, but still quite effective, TSA offer EXIS. EXIS Exercise Information System or EXIS is TSA’s online exercise tool that guides government and industry users through the exercise planning process and provides resources to design, document, and evaluate exercises for all transportation modes. EXIS enables security professionals to collaborate and communicate through discussions, shared information, and critical lessons learned. EXIS is managed by the I-STEP folks, so it is an exercise tool specifically tailored to the transportation industry. EXIS was initially developed by TSA, in partnership with the Coast There will be a presentation on using I-STEP and EXIS resources at the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2019 in New Orleans, January 17 – 20, 2019. Guard, to meet the training and exercise requirements of the Maritime Transportation Security Act. EXIS is designed to be a scalable exercise program with resources available to plan, conduct, and evaluate security operations against clear and consis- tent performance measures. A number of PVA members have used EXIS, including Larry Nuesslein with Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company, and have been happy with the results. Getting access to EXIS requires registration on the EXIS website: https://exis.tsa.dhs.gov. Registration is open to vessel owners and operators with a verified “need to know status regarding” Sensitive Security Information about the company. This could include Company, Vessel, and Facility Security Officers. If you want more information regarding persons with a “need to know” see 49 CFR Part 1520.11. Once verified, an individual can be granted access to the EXIS ap- plication. There will be a presentation on using I-STEP and EXIS resources at the PVAAnnual Convention at MariTrends 2019 in New Orleans, January 17 – 20, 2019. Representatives of TSA and two PVA member companies will be giving the presentation, so if you are curious, plan to attend. n