Special Events Planning - Not Just Security

There has been a lot of discussion lately about whether FEMA should be in or out of DHS, with lots of good comments and thoughts on both sides. One of the big reasons to move FEMA out is to ensure that the all-hazards approached is maintained and the big picture is maintained.

Special Events (Contingency) Planning is a good example of the where the security focus can lose the big picture. When special events planning is led by the law enforcement-homeland security sector, it tends to focus on only the security aspect. Even some of the planning guides found on the internet developed by the law enforcement sector talk about other sectors such as fire, EMS, public health, public works and the like as "support" functions. This is not an indictment; this is the natural tendency of a sector to focus on their areas of expertise.

In fact, a good special events (SE) plan ensures that all sectors are represented and considered. All special events have different needs and areas of concern, with security being one of those areas. You can see this in the recent discussions of the Black Friday shopping incidents. Yes, security is an issue, but coordination between the retailer and local responders, the design of the buildings, and the psychology of crowds are also important issues. A good SE plan will use the principles of emergency management to coordinate, collaborate and communicate with ALL the players on a level basis, not just the familiar public safety agencies.

Also, a good SE plan is based on existing emergency/contingency/disaster plans. SE plans should not be an entity unto themselves. The SE plan should use the existing plans as the foundation, with the SE plan addressing the issues specific to the special event. If the SE plans are focused on the specific issues, it actually takes less overall time to plan, as the foundations are the same for each special event. Over time, this will make lead to stronger overall emergency planning for all situations.

Finally, the type of event covered by special events planning needs to be expanded. The minute someone says "we have always done that event this way, we don't need to go overboard, and nothing happens anyway", or something similar, should raise the red flags that this is probably the very event that needs a good planning effort. How many times do we have to after action an incident with the comment "who would have ever thought that could happen?" Have we already forgotten that lesson from 7 years ago?

For more information, see the IS 15a Special Events Contingency Planning training course.