Two weeks ago, hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered in Washington, D.C., to celebrate our nation's birthday. The celebration brings to mind the battles that were fought to gain our nation’s independence, and the might we maintain to preserve it. Many of those gathered in our nation’s capital to celebrate might not have realized that there was a force working behind-the-scenes to protect their health during the event, just as we do during similar significant events.
The work that goes into protecting the health of those attending and working at these events is extensive, and we take many variables into consideration, such as estimated crowd size, demographics, weather conditions, the type of event, and potential man-made threats.
When we are asked to support an event, we coordinate with all other entities that have a supporting role, including federal, state and local governments as well as private entities, to ensure we have the resources on-hand to address the issues public health might face. This collective effort ensures that all issues are addressed and all necessary resources are provided to support the event and possible threats.
Our planning also takes into consideration various areas of public health, such as disease surveillance as well as addressing how we would get people who need medical treatment to medical facilities where they could receive care.
Take, for instance, Pope Francis’ visit to Washington, D.C., this past September. We had to consider the expected very large crowds, demographics, historical data from around the world, threats such as weather, transportation and security constraints, and the multiple venues that the Pope visited during the three days he was in Washington, D.C.
We also had to consider that people with more significant health issues might be more prone to join crowds gathered to celebrate Pope Francis’ visit in hopes they might receive a blessing. These factors helped us determine how best to protect the health of the attendees and support the needs of the agencies requesting our assistance.
While event attendees are one group we help support, we support those behind the scenes as well. For example, at some special events ASPR provides veterinarian support through HHS’ National Disaster Medical System to ensure that animals involved in law enforcement receive veterinary medical care if needed.
ASPR supports special events throughout the nation, but the Washington, D.C., area tends to support more special events than most other regions in the country combined. As the Regional Administrator/Regional Emergency Coordinator for the National Capital Region since 2007, I’ve been involved with dozens of events and have seen significant improvements in the way interagency partners collaborate in preparing for and responding to the various events. ASPR was created just six months before I joined, and I started two weeks before the agency supported its biggest event at that time – the 2007 Independence Day Celebration in Washington, D.C. A year-and-a-half later, we were requested to support the event that remains the largest event that this agency, and this region, has supported to date – the 2009 Presidential Inauguration of President Barack Obama.
President Obama’s 2009 inauguration was attended by approximately five times the number of people who attended the previous Independence Day Celebration event. Given its sheer size and scope, it presented the biggest planning and interagency coordination challenges we had faced.
Through supporting this event and a number of subsequent events — to include for example the 2010 & 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, 2012 African Leaders Summit, the 2013 Presidential Inauguration, and the yearly State of the Union Address — we have continually strengthened the collaboration and trust among our partner agencies at the federal and local levels.
After serving nine years in this role, I’ve seen that thorough planning, preparation and coordination is vital to protecting the safety and health of those gathering for special events no matter where they take place.
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