Fire: Landmark disaster management conference: terrorist attacks at major events

A landmark disaster and emergency management conference is to be held during the World Firefighters Games on September 1-2. This unique event--the first conference of its kind to be held during a major sporting activity--will be held in the Don Valley Stadium, South Yorkshire, and will concentrate on catastrophic incidents at major public gatherings

The threat of international terrorism is no greater than at major sporting events and public gatherings. The World Firefighters Games brings together fire chiefs from around the globe and provides a great opportunity to share experience and expertise on dealing with the threat of major disaster. The world's foremost authorities will share their experience on planning for major events such as the Sydney Olympics and lessons learned from terrorist attacks such as at the Atlanta Games. The conference will locus on multi-agency emergency planning in countering terrorist actions and will address the worst-case scenarios through case studies on major terrorist attacks as well as major incident planning exercises.

Day one will focus on the contingency planning for major events and public gatherings, while day two will focus on the ever-widening threat of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks. Analysis on the effects of an aviation crash into a densely populated stadium and response options to the catastrophe will conclude the event.

The conference will consist of 'tag' presentations, giving differing perspectives on each subject, followed by a question and answer session.

CORE THEMES

* Integrated risk management planning

* Leadership and decision making

* Multi-agency role

* Impact of media and communications

* Crowd control

* Legislative impact and political perspective

* Case studies on terrorist attacks and successfully run large-scale sporting events

* Strategic command

* Urban search and rescue

* Mass decontamination

* CBRN

SELECTED SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

CHASE SARGENT

Chase currently serves as a Battalion Chief in command of the Virginia Beach Fire Department's Special Operations Division. His responsibilities include: Command and administration of the VBFD Technical Rescue Team, VBFD Hazardous Materials Team, VBFD Marine Response Team, and FEMA US&R VA Task Force 2.

He co-ordinates the Tidewater Regional Technical Rescue Team and the Virginia Beach Fire Department Public Information Office.

Chief Sargent is active in instruction within the Commonwealth of Virginia as a member of the Department of Fire Programs Heavy and Tactical Rescue Team, and nationally as a consultant and instructor to Fire, EMS, Military, Police and Industrial Special Operations Teams

WARWICK KIDD

Warwick Robert Kidd is a serving Station Officer in New South Wales Fire Brigades currently occupying position as the Brigades Senior Rescue Instructor and Co-ordinator for New South Wales Taskforce/1 (NSWTF/1).

Warwick has day to day responsibility for co-ordinating the brigade's other senior rescue instructors while conducting training and assessment across the state in all disciplines of rescue, ranging from road accident to vertical, structural collapse, confined space etc.

LARRY COLLINS

Larry Collins is a 21-year member of the fire service, serving for the past decade as Captain of a Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue unit in Los Angeles County, California. He is responsible for planning, training, supervising, and performing urban search and technical rescue, rapid intervention, hole high rise, marine disaster, swiftwater and flood rescue, and other USAR-related emergency operations across LA County.

On the national scene, he is assigned as a Search Team Manager for a national Urban Search and Rescue Task Force and as a USAR Specialist for one of three national Urban Search and Rescue Incident Support Teams.

GEOFF WILLIAMS

Deputy Firemaster Geoff Williams, Central Scotland Fire Brigade, has 28 years operational experience in all ranks up to his present position of Deputy Firemaster of the Central Scotland Fire Brigade.

He designed and developed the International Executive Command Level incident Management for Urban Search and Rescue Operations utilising an IT enriched information database, which assists Executive Command Level Management to correctly manage, pre-plan and train USAR teams under their command for these types of terrorist attacks.

He is the Chairperson of the International Emergency Technical Rescue Institute and International Joint Executive Member of the National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue (USA) and a Technical Advisory Board Member of the Fire and Emergency Training Network (FETN)-USA.

Disaster Management at Major Events: Facing the Terrorist Threat

Day 1--Integrated Contingency Planning at Major Public Gatherings

10.00-10.30    Refreshments and Registration

10.30-10.40    Introduction
               Chief Fire Officer, South Yorkshire/Conference Chair

Session One:   Learning from Disaster:
               Key Elements in Major Incident Planning

10.40-11.20    Security at Atlanta: Lessons Learned from Terrorist
               Attacks Chase Sargent, Battalion Chief, Virginia Beach
               Special Operations Division, FEMA USAR Task Force 2

11.20-11.50    Refreshments/View World Firefighters Games

11.50-12.30    Practical Applications of Emergency Management for
               the Sydney Olympics
               Warwick Kidd, Senior Rescue Instructor and
               Co-ordinator, New South Wales Task Force 1

12.30-14.00    Lunch/view World Firefighters Games

Session Two:   Multi-Agency Co-ordination in Emergency Planning:
               The New Dimension

14.00-14.40    Emergency Medical Service Provision--Security in
               South Africa
               Heinrich Munich, Western Cape Emergency Planning

14.40-15.10    Refreshments/View World Firefighters Games

15.10-15.50    Managing Mass Crowds and Transport Infrastructure at
               Major Events--Suicide Bombers in Israel

15.50-17.00    View World Firefighters Games

Day 2--Facing the Terrorist Threat

Session One:   Impact of a Large Scale Attack at a Major Public
               Gathering

10.00-10.30    View WorldFirefighters Games

10.30-10.40    Training from Live Incidents
               Randy Corbin, Texas Task Force Leader

10.40-11.20    Global Standards in Incident Command: VectorCommand

11.20-11.50    Refreshments/View World Firefighters Games

11.50-12.30    Crowd Containment and Mass Decontamination
               Larry Collins, Captain, USAR Unit, Los Angeles County,
               California

12.30-14.00    Lunch/View World Firefighters Games

Session Two:   Catastrophic Command: Strategy and Tactics for
               Tackling Disaster

14.00-14.40    Major Attack on the Don Valley Stadium--Playing
               Russian Roulette with Catastrophic Command
               Geoff Williams, President of the International Emergency
               Technical Rescue Institute

14.40-15.10    Refreshments/View World Firefighters Games

15.10-15.50    Unifying Emergency Command--US Management of
               Catastrophic Incidents
               Mike Tamall, Head USAR, FEMA

15.50-17.00    View World Firefighters Games

Content

Day One--Integrated Contingency Planning at Major Public Gatherings

Session One: Learning from Disaster: Key Elements in Major Incident Planning

The last major international sporting event to suffer a terrorist attack was the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. The speakers will identify the primary areas of risk, the importance of integrated emergency management and highlight procedures that have since been implemented to prevent and prepare for a reoccurrence of a similar terrorist attack.

The speaker will address the historical aspects of terrorism and the fundamental driving issues, examining groups such as HT, IMU and Al Queda. Operational preparedness at the Sydney Olympics is analysed to provide a strategic overview of the critical issues surrounding emergency planning for large scale events, including the complex structural arrangements involving national and international agencies.

Session Two: Multi-Agency Co-ordination in Emergency Planning: The New Dimension

A look at the international perspective of emergency planning, focusing on infrastructure, technology and communications, strategic alliances, plus rescue response options and training. The session will focus on emergency medical service response and trauma-related incidents such as suicide bombers.

Day Two--Facing the Terrorist Threat

Session One: Impact of a Large Scale Attack at a Major Public Gathering