New York Safety Officials Collaborate to Secure Large-Scale Events

New York Safety Officials Collaborate to Secure Large-Scale Events

Safety officials from the Oswego area are collaborating to increase security for large-scale events

Public safety officials are collaborating to increase security infrastructure at large public events in Oswego, N.Y.

According to police and fire officials, the Harborfest in July will feature increased security measures for the tens of thousands of attendees.

Oswego Fire Department Chief Randy Griffin and Deputy Chief Justin Norfleet said they’re working to implement strategies learned from an on-site collaboration with Chicago emergency operatives preparing for the city’s annual marathon last October. Emergency officials in Chicago recruited members of the emergency management communities of Oswego and Houston, Texas, to help them with planning and response.

“There are things we can learn from a large-scale event like the Chicago Marathon to things we’re doing here locally,” Norfleet said.

Griffin said the experience with Chicago was “invaluable.”

“I approached [Norfleet] late last summer and said a colleague of mine, who is the deputy director for emergency management for the city of Chicago, offered us an opportunity to come and help with the planning process for the Chicago Marathon,” Griffin said. “I thought it would be a good idea to see how other cities manage incidents and large events.”

Norfleet was able to get an inside look at the security infrastructure protecting the 45,000 participants and 1.7 million spectators at the marathon, including the aid stations and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC housed a team of health and safety professionals responding to calls.

According to Norfleet, one crucial point he took away was how Oswego events could benefit from similar operating centers using existing equipment, if the public safety and municipal staff could collaborate.

“Here’s one of the takeaways — it doesn’t have to be fancy. [The EOC] is a tent with table, phones and masking tape,” Norfleet said.

The police and fire departments already share communication, but an EOC would provide a single operating station for their crew members during an event.

“Does an operations center for an event have to be super fancy and high tech? No,” Norfleet said. “There are things you need. You need phones, you need some kind of data connection and a TV.”

Norfleet said public safety officers will set up markers around Oswego, allowing anyone calling emergency responders to identify their exact location using an alphanumeric labeling system.

A police and operations center staffed by fire police and law enforcement would oversee the event using surveillance technology, including camera monitors with GPS tracking abilities.

“It’s people in chairs with laptops communication devices,” Norfleet said. “It’s problem solving with people all in the room.”

According to Griffin, the fire department is working with the Oswego County Department of Planning and Community Development to create a Geospatial Information System (GIS), a digital topographical map allowing the user to interact with their environment in real time.

“The idea would be i can take a map of the city of Oswego...and I would be able to see where all the chemicals are stored in the city. If the wind is blowing in this direction, who would be affected by that? Instead of reading that in a narrative format, I’m actually seeing it geospatially,” Griffin said.

GIS would let public safety officials access public and private surveillance cameras if they use digital technology, Griffin said, though it’s not clear when they would be able to implement this, he added.

Featured

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.