FY2011 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2011 | Page 17
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Coordination of multiple jurisdictional agencies and work groups to
provide immediate monitoring, detection, and incident response
groups for Chemical/Biological/Radiological/Nuclear-related
incidents on the event footprint in conjunction with providing
immediate on-site reach back capabilities. There were
assignments in the week leading up to the event that required in
excess of 100 personnel to accomplish the assigned task.
SB XLV - Communications
The Arlington Communications Division was taxed with ensuring the various
local, State, and Federal agencies operating during the
Super Bowl were able to communicate seamlessly by
radio. Months of planning and coordination resulted in a
communications model that operated extremely
effectively for all disciplines. Due to inclement weather,
the Dispatch Center also experienced a heavier call
volume for normal day-to-day operations for several days, in addition to Super
Bowl-related incidents. Both the increased call volume and the additional radios
operating on the Arlington radio system caused concern that the system would
not be able to handle the activity and communications would be compromised;
however, system busies were minimal considering the enormous amount of
radio transmissions before and during the event.
SB XLV - Stadium Operations
There were several factors relating to game day operations that affected the staffing and
deployment plan. First, the attendance prediction was about 20 percent
higher than a normal season sellout game because approximately 12,000
temporary seats were installed. Additionally, the stadium had a barricade
system comprised of concrete and fencing, which extended hundreds of feet
from the building and into the streets surrounding it. Entering the secure
perimeter in a vehicle required a sweep by Joint Hazard Assessment Teams.
The Fire Department made several changes to staffing and deployment compared with a typical
football game. Overall medical staffing was increased by 100 percent to ensure that an adequate
number of medical personnel were present to accommodate the larger crowd and mitigate the
potential for response delays caused by the barricaded perimeter. To accommodate fans with
medical issues, additional first aid stations were added and all interior
stations were staffed with a physician.
During the Super Bowl, there were 43 percent more medical calls and 111
percent more first aid contacts than at an average NFL game held at the
stadium. While it was busy, the call volume was managed entirely by the
resources on site. The average EMS response time was just less than
five minutes, which directly correlates with the Fire Department‘s goal for
the City of BLS care arriving within five minutes and ALS care within eight minutes.
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Working Together to Make Arlington Better.