COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

The BCIU Transportation Department gives back to the communities it serves through volunteer efforts and support of various non-profit organizations, including:

American Cancer Society
BerksTALKLINE
Special Olympics Berks County
United Way of Berks County

EVENTS

BCIU Transportation assists with Wernersville State Hospital evacuation

When the floodwaters began to rise at Wernersville State Hospital on September 8, 2011, it was clear that the patients and staff of the facility had to be evacuated as soon as possible, so hospital administrators reached out to BCIU for help. Working alongside ambulance crews and other busing providers, the Berks County Intermediate Unit's Transportation Department was able to provide evacuation assistance to the hospital staff and more than 260 patients.

Even as BCIU's Transportation Department dealt with other issues related to flooding across the county, the staff at the BCIU Transportation Center ably handled the complex logistics required to assist the hospital with its efforts.

Despite the short notice, BCIU scrambled enough employees to provide 14 buses for the relocation effort. People and equipment were transported for a reasonable fee to temporary quarters in Gettysburg and Norristown during the course of the day. BCIU's ability to transport passengers with special needs proved to be an essential asset during the evacuation.

Darren Schlott, assistant program administrator of Transportation, commended all of the members of the Transportation staff on their responsiveness and dedication during this critical operation.

"Much of the credit for the quick response to the emergency evacuations needs to go to the entire Transportation Department," said Schlott. "They were already dealing with a tremendous number of phone calls and early school closings and were still able to help pull off this emergency evacuation smoothly. It was a total team effort from the supervisors, dispatchers, and drivers. I’m very fortunate to be part of such a great team."