Emergency Operations Planning for Large Events

Presentation Outline

Introduction to the topic

Defining large events and identifying specific threats and hazards

Connection to the six step planning process

Outstanding issues, summary, and next steps

Introduction to the Topic

10/27/09 Richmond, CA — Twenty present at gang rape outside school dance

10/4/13 Philadelphia, PA —

Two teens wounded in

shooting after high school

football game

11/27/12 Elkins, WV — Teen dead aft er stabbing at high

school football game

10/27/12 Richmond, CA — Homecoming dance halted due to gunfire

12/21/13 southern Indiana — High school basketball game evacuated after tornado warning

6/10/13 Richmond, VA —

Siegel Center evacuated during

high school graduation

Defining Large Events A convening of a significant

number of persons for a school-related event

Held on or off school grounds and during school hours or not

May involve a variety of the following:• Youth of different ages;• School personnel;• Schools; and• Members of the community,

including families, guardians, parents, and volunteers.

Identifying Potential Threats and Hazards Related to Large Events (1 of 2)

Threat and Hazard Type Examples Related to Large EventsNatural Hazards Weather-related hazards (e.g., earthquakes,

tornadoes, winter precipitation)

Technological Hazards Power failure Water failure Gas leak

Biological Hazards Infectious disease outbreaks (e.g., pandemic influenza, meningitis)

Contaminated food

Adversarial, Incidental, and Human-Caused Threats

Fire Active shooters Gang violence Aggressive fans Fighting Intoxication

Identifying Potential Threats and Hazards Related to Large Events (2 of 2)

• The odds of a dangerous occurrence are greater.

• Individuals take for granted that others are responsible.

• Changes in action take longer and are more complicated.

• Communications are slower and more complicated.

• The potential for a large number of victims is greater.

• Stampeding is likely during an emergency.

Crowds, in general,

increase the potential for emergencies.

Why are large events important to the K-12 community and beyond?

Despite the potential for danger, large events promote the following:

Improvement of education and educational environment; Character-building; Recreation; School pride; Community service; Opportunity for recognition; and Bonding between the school and community.

Comprehensive School EOPs Are Supported by Six Key Planning Principles

Supported by Leadership

Collaborative Process

Uses Assessments to

Customize

Takes an All-Hazards

Approach

Provides for Whole School Community

Considers All Settings & All

Times

Connection to the Six Step Planning Process

Step 1: Form a Collaborative Planning Team (1 of 4)

Members of the collaborative planning team should include:

A wide range of school personnel, including staff who have a role in large events management (e.g. administrators, student government faculty sponsors, athletics department staff, safety and security staff);

Parent and student representatives; Individuals and organizations representing the diverse interests of

students, parents, faculty and staff; and Community partners, including personnel who may have a role in the

management of large events.

Step 2: Understand the Situation

When conducting assessments, consider all settings and all times, including the context of large events.Types of Assessments Considerations Related to Large Events

Site assessment How may the site evolve in the context of a large event?

Culture and climate assessment

How might the culture and climate of a school change during a large event?

School threat assessment How might a threat be amplified by a large event?

Capacity assessment What are the capacities of students, staff, and community partners in the context of a large event?

Steps 3 & 4: Develop Goals, Objectives, and Courses of Action (1 of 2)

In Step 3, planning teams should: Develop goals and objectives for addressing threats and hazards, and Identify cross-cutting functions that address multiple threats and hazards.

In Step 4, planning teams should use scenario-based planning to determine courses of action for threats, hazards, and functions.

Scenarios should demonstrate how threats and hazards may unfold at a variety of settings and times, including large events.

Steps 3 & 4: Develop Goals, Objectives, and Courses of Action (2 of 2)

Use scenario-based planning to determine how functions may address large event emergencies.Scenarios Depicting Threats and Hazards at a Large Event

Functions Needed to Address the Scenario

Gang fight at a school dance, or even Prom

Security; Communications and Warning; Lockdown; Recovery

Explosion at a basketball game Evacuation; Communications and Warning

Lightning storm at a football game Evacuation; Shelter-in-Place; Communications and Warning

Parent protest at a school board meeting

Security; Communications and Warning

Security Annex (1 of 6)

Topics relating to large events in the Security Annex include:

Access control; Environmental and other event controls; Student code of conduct and discipline; and Large event security staff.

Security Annex (2 of 6)

Controlling and Limiting Access

Limit the number of tickets available. Require student identification. Hold events during certain hours. Exclude certain students (e.g., those from other

schools).

Security Annex (3 of 6)

Environmental and Event Controls Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED):

Avoiding high-risk situations:

Additional controls:

o Perimeter controlo Appropriate signageo Appropriate music

o Closing off certain areaso Adequate lighting

o Easily identifiable staffo Prohibiting backpacks

o Metal detectorso Dress Code

o Understaffing securityo Failing to monitor perimetero Segregating the crowd

o Promoting rivalrieso Exceeding maximum

capacity

Security Annex (4 of 6)

Will discipline records be used to determine whether an individual has access to events?

What about large after-school events (e.g., football games) that are open to the broader community?

How will student discipline issues be handled during an event?

Student Code of Conduct and Discipline Issues

Security Annex (5 of 6)

Considerations for Security Staff at Large Events Staff recruitment

Staff roles

Determine number of staff and qualifications

o School Resource Officers (SROs)

o Local policeo Paid security staff

o School personnelo Volunteerso Ticket-takers

o Perimeter controlo Entrance screenerso Inside security

o Ticket-takerso Usherso ICS response structure

Security Annex (6 of 6)

Considerations for Security Staff at Large Events (cont.)

Types of training for security staffo Incident Command System

(ICS)o Knowledge of the

populations who should be assisted first

o CPR

o How to optimize orderly responses within the large event setting

o Emergency response procedures for large events

o Conflict resolution

Communications and Warning Annex

Keep channels of communication open:

Manage interoperability of communications systems and equipment:

o With students;o Within and across agencies;

before, during, and after the event

o With external visitors;o For various types of events; ando Throughout the school year.

o Decide what type of equipment is needed;

o Decide how to assign equipment;

o Ensure interoperability;

o Establish procedures for using equipment; and

o Discuss equipment with staff and first responders.

Evacuation, Shelter-in-Place, and Lockdown Annexes

Evacuation Annex

Shelter-in-Place Annex

Lockdown Annex

Recovery Annex

Scenarios Related Recovery Questions An active shooter at a football

game kills one community member and injures four visiting students.

An earthquake strikes during a high school graduation ceremony being held at an event hall.

Deadly toxic gas is released in an off-campus auditorium. Six students and all three chaperone adults become ill.

What kind of recovery efforts is a school responsible for if an incident occurs at these types of events?

Are schools responsible for community members along with youth?

What resources will be needed for recovery—both physical and emotional?

Steps 5 & 6: Plan Preparation, Review, Approval, Implementation, and Maintenance (1 of 4)

Share the plan.

Train stakeholders on the plan and their roles in it.

Conduct exercises and drills.

Review, revise, and maintain the plan.

Large event issues to consider when sharing the plan with stakeholders: Balance the need to share plans with stakeholders

with the need to maintain the confidentiality of plans.

Create a Large Events Index, which includes the most relevant sections of the plan related to Large Events. This index can be shared with security staff and other individuals responsible for the safety and security of a large event.

Steps 5 & 6: Plan Preparation, Review, Approval, Implementation, and Maintenance (2 of 4)

Steps 5 & 6: Plan Preparation, Review, Approval, Implementation, and Maintenance (3 of 4)

Large event issues to consider when training stakeholders on the plan and their role in it: Communicate emergency response procedures to promote

awareness.o Use non-urgent times.o Empower youth to train others.o Use public service announcements (PSAs).o Work with first responders.

Include after-school program managers in training. Train on National Incident Management System (NIMS) and on

ICS in a large event context.

Steps 5 & 6: Plan Preparation, Review, Approval, Implementation, and Maintenance (4 of 4)

Conduct exercises and drills.

• Include settings of large events.• Prepare plans for multiple venues.• Recruit students, parents, and community members for drills and exercises.

Review, revise, and maintain plan.

• Prepare after-action reports.• Continuously review and improve policies and procedures.

Summary

Emergency operations planning for large events should be incorporated into EOPs.

• Example: Provide incident reporting data broken down by event and location to demonstrate potential problems.

Planners should share information with school leadership and community partners to get them on board.

K-12 schools are places where the community should be invited in, not kept out; large event preparedness can help maintain this collaborative environment.

Next Steps

Further Information

Phone: (855) 781-7367 (REMS)Email: info@remstacenter.org

http://rems.ed.gov

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to the original authors and contributors who developed and reviewed content for this presentation:

Walter Cooper, Director of Training, National Center For Spectator Sport Safety and Security (NCS4), University of Southern Mississippi

Jon R. Akers, Executive Director, Kentucky Center for School Safety Participants of the OSDFS-Sponsored Working Group on Large Event

Security, March 23, 2010, Washington, DC

This presentation was updated on September 17, 2014.

This presentation was prepared for the U.S. Department of Education under Contract Number EDESE12O0036 with Synergy Enterprises, Inc. Madeline Sullivan served as the contracting officer’s representative for the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned in this presentation is intended or should be inferred. For the reader’s convenience, this presentation contains information about and from outside organizations, including hyperlinks and URLs. Inclusion of such information does not constitute an endorsement by the Department.