FY2011 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2011 | Page 40
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The Special Events section is staffed by a Battalion Chief, a
Captain, and two emergency planners through the use of
City funds and Homeland Security grants. The Office of
Special Events is responsible for working in partnership with
the Arlington Police Department and venue management to
ensure the safety of the public at mass gatherings. Specific
functions include ensuring compliance with ordinances,
developing appropriate public safety event action plans
based on the characteristics of the event and facility,
coordinating specialized training for responders, and serving
as the liaison with event management and other public
safety groups.
More than 4.8 million people attended 177 special events in Arlington in Fiscal 2011 at a variety of
venues. The venues ranged from Cowboys Stadium and Rangers Ballpark to the Levitt Pavilion and
City parks to street festivals and events such as run/walks and parades.
Sporting Events
Aside from the typical professional football and baseball events held at Arlington venues, some
interesting other sports were hosted in 2011. High school and college womenâs Lacrosse and
professional bowling championships were held this year. Several rounds of high school football
playoffs were held in November. High school football has turned out to be a very big draw to the
Stadium. More than 250,000 people attended the nine events held during Fiscal 2011.
Two different soccer events were held at the Stadium this year: Gold Cup in June and World
Football Challenge in August. These matches were held between internationally renowned teams
and drew significant crowds.
The Professional Bull Riders Association returned for a second year. This event offers a fan
festival, family activities, and concerts as enhancements to the actual rodeo competitions. The preevent concert this year was headlined by Toby Keith.
Monster Energy AMA Supercross also returned for a second year. It had about 33,000 in
attendance its first year and increased to 41,000 in its second. This event has already been booked
for the next two years.
College Football
College football games have produced more fire and medical responses than NFL games in many
cases. In FY 2011, the Stadium hosted the Big 12 College Football Championship featuring #13
Nebraska versus #10 Oklahoma, the Cotton Bowl Classic featuring #11 Louisiana State versus #17
Texas A&M, a regular season game between Texas A&M and Arkansas, and the 2011 season
kickoff feature game, #2 LSU versus #4 Oregon. The latter proved exceptionally challenging to us.
Working Together to Make Arlington Better.
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