Despite the complexity associated with this effort, the goals are clear: to prevent unwanted developments that would negatively impact the community -- and in the case of the Super Bowl, the country; produce panic or hysteria; or damage a public venue -- in this case, Dolphin Stadium.
The planning for Super Bowl XLI illustrates an evolution in the emergency management field since Miami last hosted the game in 1999.
The 2007 event involves nearly twice the police personnel and far greater cooperation among federal, state and local officials. Furthermore, emergency operations will be choreographed from an improved emergency operations center (EOC), which recently replaced a Cold War-era civil defense bunker.
Working Together
To tackle the safety and security goals, more than 70 government agencies have struck alliances. Among them are the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), the Miami-Dade Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEM/HS) and the Super Bowl XLI Host Committee. Maj. Carlos Gonzalez, assistant director at the Miami-Dade OEM/HS, explained that these agencies have collaborated previously for other events, and that the MDPD is the lead agency for security at the Super Bowl.
"It's always a challenge whenever you get different people sitting around a table trying to reach a consensus on a project," Gonzalez said. "However, my experience has shown me that we have always had great cooperation -- certainly with other law enforcement agencies, and all agencies, whether they are a public safety component or another agency involved in other aspects of planning."
The relationships between participating organizations are strong, he said.
For Super Bowl XLI, various scenarios have been considered, most of which deal with a mass casualty or a weapons of mass destruction event, said Robert Parker, director of the MDPD.
"In terms of organizing ourselves, we have established a sound command and control structure geared toward weapons of mass destruction or a mass casualty event," he said. "The establishment of working committees and subcommittees that encompass public safety assets from not only the MDPD, but the federal, state and local levels, combined with comprehensive planning and continuous training will go a long way toward mitigating any minor or major catastrophic event."
Taking the Lead
The MDPD will serve as the lead law enforcement agency overseeing public safety on game day, and will contribute to security throughout the week at the various local events and parties organized prior to the Super Bowl.
Parker outlined that the police department's Super Bowl Planning Committee, while largely made up of those working in the department, also included representatives from the South Florida Host Committee, the National Football League (NFL), the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, and several federal and state agencies. The Super Bowl Planning Committee is broken down into six operational committees and 44 subcommittees, all tasked with coordinating various elements of security.
Despite the numerous organizations involved, Gonzalez said the process has been configured so that turf wars between jurisdictions aren't an issue. "The different jurisdictions know what they are responsible for," he said. "Once you have a designated lead agency, with respect to security, everyone knows what their job is, and they conduct themselves accordingly."
Michael Kelly, president of the South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee, reports back to the NFL and the MDPD. "Our responsibility is to make sure that NFL security and local law enforcement has all of the information they need, and that they are prepared accordingly," he said, adding that his office has been in regular contact with these bodies since Super Bowl XL.
As a member of the Host Committee's Public Safety Sub-Committee, the Miami-Dade OEM/HS is responsible for collaborating with the other emergency management and mass care agencies in the region.
"There is a focus on the ability of agencies to respond quickly and effectively in an emergency. With an event like this, there is the need for coordination due to the increased number of visitors, requiring more enhanced collaboration," said Scott Burnotes, manager of the preparedness branch for the Miami-Dade OEM/HS, adding that his organization is currently setting up a multiagency coordination group not only for the Super Bowl, but other emergency preparedness efforts as well.
"We want to set up a system that will facilitate the support of the different jurisdictional or event command posts via communication and resources, and then be able to expedite the aid process if a catastrophic incident should occur," Burnotes said.
This effort encompasses four counties: Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach, Gonzalez said.
"We, under regular circumstances, are part of a regional domestic security task force that meets once a month," he said. "It involves several different working groups from different disciplines that meet and provide planning for different events. The collaboration among the counties, especially in our region, is constant."
This, he added, has facilitated the collaboration effort for the Super Bowl.
Meeting on a monthly basis, the operational committees for the MDPD's Planning Committee brief their counterparts on their progress. "Initially," Parker said, "these meetings consisted of extensive discussion toward developing the overall concept of the operation, which progressed to the actual planning phase where each committee and subcommittee chairperson was tasked with developing an operational plan that will be consolidated into the department's overall plan for Super Bowl XLI."
These sessions are conducted one week prior to the monthly meetings hosted by the Public Safety Planning Committee, which are held at Dolphin Stadium. "Key issues discussed at departmental meetings are presented at this forum, so that our federal, state and local law enforcement partners have a functional understanding of the operation and vice versa," Parker noted. "These committees and subcommittees then have individual meetings to discuss actual details and formulate actual plans."
At these meetings, it's the Host Committee's job to give security personnel an idea of how Super Bowl week is shaping up. "At this point, it has been important for them to get a lot of information on the different events, and an idea of how the whole week unfolds," Kelly said. "We start off with game day being the priority, so that there is a major security effort within the stadium itself. The planning also extends throughout the entire week, once the teams arrive. There are so many special events around town that may not receive the same level of scrutiny that the stadium does, but certainly are planned for and accounted for, and a game plan is in place for fire and rescue and police presence."
These reunions will continue into the new year. Parker noted that the January FedEx Orange Bowl Game at Dolphin Stadium will be used as a dress rehearsal. "In the event that important issues are identified at that event, adjustments to the operational plan can be made with sufficient lead time," he said. "We anticipate that by the time Super Bowl XLI arrives, not only will MDPD be fully prepared, but our local, state and federal partners will be as well."
Heightened Security
Miami-Dade hasn't hosted a Super Bowl event since 1999 -- before 9/11 dictated increased security. Parker noted that changes were incorporated at Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa shortly after the attacks, and measures are being improved upon continually ever since.
"In 1999, the major focus in terms of our game plan was on public safety," he said. "That continues to be our chief objective, however, the resources required to ensure we meet that objective have increased tremendously."
Before, the Super Bowl was staffed with approximately 250 police personnel; in February, 450 will be present. "We have also ramped up our contingent of tactical and special operations personnel, not to mention those from the state and federal levels," Parker said. "In fact, the level of participation is unprecedented."
Kelly noted that these processes have become standard for other Super Bowl host cities; it's just the first time that Miami-Dade has had to put them into place.
"There are extra layers of security checks, there are metal detectors, and there has been an extension of a perimeter," he said. "The game plan has been somewhat similar since 9/11; we have just had to adapt to that here in south Florida."
Burnotes emphasized that while security must be tight, it shouldn't put a damper on the celebration.
"The overall goal is to ensure the safety and security of all of the events surrounding the Super Bowl," he said. "There should be no distractions, or things that stop any part of the process; we just want everyone to have a good time. We also don't want the security to be so severe that no one is going to want to come back. We need to put a blanket of security over all of these events without restricting the process."
Still, the hike in security has been significant for everyone -- not just law enforcement. "In 1999, our EOC was an old 1956 civil defense bunker of 8,000 square feet," Burnotes said. "Our new EOC is more than 22,000 square feet, in a Category 5-rated building. In 1999, the staff was approximately 15; now we have a staff of 24. As the emergency management profession has grown and people are more aware of it now, there are additional emergency management programs."
Super Bowl planning has resulted in a reinforcement of emergency management processes in general throughout the agencies in Miami-Dade County, Parker said. "The relationships formed with other agencies have been enhanced; lines of communication have expanded; individual and collective roles have been identified; and probably the most beneficial are the joint training exercises which have been conducted, and will continue until Super Bowl week," he said. "Most of the planning, coupled with the training, has a tremendous application to disaster planning in general, which benefits everyone."
This is in part why those at the Miami-Dade OEM/HS believe that a multiagency coordination effort will strengthen disaster planning even more.
"We are trying to accomplish this in general for all types of things that we may need to assist other agencies or other jurisdictions with," Gonzalez said. "This is being done with the Super Bowl because there are several counties and a number of different agencies involved, and the multiagency coordination group comes into play in case of an event that crosses those lines."
