When emergencies happen on a transit system, preparation can make all the difference.
San Joaquin Regional Transit District is adding significant experience to that side of its operation with the arrival of Harlow Church, a veteran transit safety and emergency management professional with more than 17 years of experience in rail operations, system safety, fire life safety and emergency preparedness.
Church joins RTD after an extensive career with Bay Area Rapid Transit, where he most recently served as Fire Life Safety Program Administrator.
His background includes coordinating with fire departments, police agencies and transit safety teams, developing emergency exercises, investigating incidents and helping transportation systems prepare for major events and unexpected emergencies.
For RTD riders in Stockton and across San Joaquin County, much of that work happens behind the scenes. But it can influence how quickly and effectively an agency responds when something goes wrong.
“Safety must remain at the center of everything we do at RTD,” said Eric Williams, Chief Executive Officer of San Joaquin Regional Transit District. “Harlow brings a unique combination of operational experience, system safety expertise, emergency preparedness, and first responder coordination.”
At BART, Church developed and managed fire prevention and first responder programs involving transit facilities and equipment. He also worked with local fire departments on familiarization and training so emergency personnel would better understand the transit environment before responding to an actual incident.
His emergency management work included planning and directing tabletop drills and full-scale exercises designed to test how employees, first responders and other agencies would react during major incidents.
Church also supported Emergency Operations Center planning and activations for large-scale events, including the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup, where transit agencies can face increased passenger traffic, security concerns and emergency coordination demands.
Before taking on his fire life safety role, Church served as a Principal Operations Safety Specialist in BART’s System Safety Department.
There, he led accident and incident investigations, performed operational safety reviews and audits, identified hazards and worked with departments throughout the agency to develop corrective actions.
His work also included development of BART’s right-of-way encampment risk assessment program. Church worked with BART and City of Oakland officials to evaluate safety concerns, prioritize areas needing attention and coordinate station and facility cleanouts intended to reduce combustible materials and other hazards.
What makes Church’s background somewhat unusual is that his career did not begin behind a desk.
He started in freight and passenger rail operations and worked in frontline and supervisory positions including Conductor, Locomotive Engineer, DMU Operator and Operations Supervisor.
That hands-on experience eventually led him into system safety, giving him familiarity with both day-to-day transportation operations and the policies designed to protect employees and passengers.
RTD officials say that combination will help the agency continue strengthening its overall safety culture.
Williams said Church’s hiring is also part of a broader effort to prepare RTD for the future.
“As we look at where RTD needs to be over the next several decades, our responsibility goes beyond providing transportation,” Williams said. “We must ensure that our employees, riders, facilities, and operations are supported by strong safety systems, sound emergency planning, and a culture of preparedness and accountability.”
For a public transit agency, safety planning can cover a wide range of situations, from routine operational hazards to fires, major accidents, security incidents or large community events that place unusual demands on the system.
Training, coordination and advance planning can determine how well employees and first responders work together when those situations occur.
Church’s arrival gives RTD another experienced voice focused specifically on those challenges.
The District provides transportation throughout San Joaquin County, serving residents who rely on transit for work, school, medical appointments, shopping and other daily needs.
As RTD looks toward future growth and changing transportation demands, Church will help guide efforts aimed at making sure safety and preparedness remain part of that expansion.
For local riders, that may not always be visible from the bus stop.
But when something unexpected happens, the systems built long before the emergency can matter most.