Thanks for this document ^

That's good info, but didn't really answer my question. You mention getting a TSM, but people who have been thru it in the trenches talk about calling for an FSD. I'm looking for a bit more information.

I remember reading a mileage run trip report a while back, by someone who really knew what they were doing, and a TSO tried to give him some crap about no one else being available (higher up), whereupon he said if that person wasn't available, the airport would have to be shut down (I probably have the details wrong, but you get the gist of it).

Cali

I spent some time trying to figure all of this out (being a process person), and please... not to slam any individual... yet it's amazing how quickly the TSA (and the DHS) have become a fully evolved and staffed bureaucracy. And I take it there was a re-org a few years back, that really shuffled up the FSD and Regional Director org-chart. Just when you get a feel for the structure, it shifts some. I'm really suprised that there isn't a private (or not so public) forum for talking about the internal workings of the organization (as there appears to be for Fortune-50, military branches, and larger government organizations). Aside from how the TSA does their role, with the growth and re-orgs it's a real challenge to keep track of everyone (and all of the roles)! :)

Ask in this order...

TSO -> STSO -> TSM -> FSD

An STSO (or LTSO acting as an STSO) is required to operate a checkpoint, and a TSM is required to operate an airport. An FSD may run several airports and is not necessarily present, but his office will be accessible by phone at all times.

--Jon

This isn't a comment on your post, it's just every time I read something like this (minimum staffing requirements), I think of an airport such as COU. Have you ever been there? The one and only time I passed through, the people manning the CP outnumbered the pax. :)