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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 085 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-085 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council June 7, 2022 Page 1 of 2 i i7 Y SUBJECT: SECURITY AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT FOR LARGE-SCALE rrn EVENTS The purpose of this Informal Report is to respond to a request for information about security and traffic management for large-scale events. These events can be recurring annual events or unscheduled "pop- up" events that come with little notice, such as those that are discovered through social media postings. The events that span a single day, multiple days, or even weeks. Large-scale events, both public and private, enhance Fort Worth's quality of life, thereby benefiting residents as well as visitors. Nevertheless, these events sometimes attract large gatherings of people, which may cause parking, traffic, and crowd management concerns. The planning process can involve several City services to address public health and safety conditions through careful and effective planning and coordination to ensure the success of planned events while minimizing disruption of business, recreational, and social activities in the community. The Special Events/Emergency Response (SEER) unit within the Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) has the primary responsibility for coordination of special and/or large-scale events as the designee for the Chief of Police, defined and outlined in the City of Fort Worth Outdoor Event Ordinance#1925508-2010. The process of planning for an event is comprehensive and involves inter-departmental coordination. The planning process includes a review of operational plans and after-action reports from prior years for the planned event, if applicable. This review is to note prior threats to safety, complaints, protests, traffic-flow problems, etc. and to explore solutions to address the noted issues for the upcoming event. SEER personnel will meet with the event organizers to confirm the event footprint and anticipated attendance, and to discuss any issues or concerns the organizers may have. Changes to help reduce any impact to the event and surrounding areas are discussed with the organizers. Other relevant City departments are provided an opportunity to look at the event footprint to provide input in the operational planning. Depending on the type and size of the event, the SEER unit will coordinate with FWPD divisions and units that will be utilized and ensure they complete any necessary division/unit plans. While understanding that every event is unique, any combination of FWPD resources may be utilized to maximize the health and safety of the event participants and quality of life of affected residents, as well as to minimize the threat or risks associated with the event. These resources may include SWAT, Directed Response Unit, Gang Unit, NPOs, undercover Narcotic and Vice personnel, Mounted Patrol unit, as well as Air Support, Tactical Medics, and Bike unit personnel. The SEER unit will coordinate with the following divisions/units: Homeland Security Unit —will provide intelligence information regarding terrorist and subversive group threats to the resources and venue leading up to and during an event. Electronic Surveillance Unit and Real-time Crime Center—will provide technical support and electronic surveillance for an event. Traffic Division —specializes in the management of traffic flow and are familiar with managing the traffic flow through consecutive intersections on a thoroughfare. FWPD PIO —will provide outgoing messaging regarding updated event information as well as any traffic issues to assist the public in avoiding congested areas. This messaging is coordinated with the City's Communications department for consistent messaging and may utilize social media platforms and communication platforms such as Nixle. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-085 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council June 7, 2022 Page 2 of 2 i i7 Y SUBJECT: SECURITY AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT FOR LARGE-SCALE rrn EVENTS A major component to any large-scale event is the traffic from attendees and participants to and from the event. Therefore, a traffic management plan is created with collaboration of the FWPD Traffic Division and CFW T/PW department. A review of prior years' traffic plans will determine whether new traffic routes will be needed. A check for forecasted weather, planned street and water department construction projects, and planned private contract work that could impact event traffic patterns is completed. The T/PW department will have an engineer review the traffic pattern and sequence timing for the signal lights and alter signal light patterns based on the traffic needs for ingress and egress traffic flows. The traffic division will assign personnel to manage the traffic flow at major intersections along the ingress and egress traffic routes. The traffic division will also ensure that emergency routes always remain clear. The traffic management plan will be designed to: • Identify ingress and egress traffic patterns to maximize traffic efficiency to and from the event • Identify emergency routes for emergency response during ingress and egress traffic patterns, as well as during the event • Minimize major traffic impacts for the public • Reduce the possibility of cutting off access to/from or isolating neighborhoods near the event • Ensure there are not conflicting traffic flow patterns for separate concurrent events that are nearby • Ensure a T/PW traffic technician is available to resolve on-site equipment failures and a T/PW engineer is available to resolve programming issues. The SEER unit will coordinate with other City departments as well as community stakeholders to plan for the prevention of threats including vehicle intrusion into the event to increase safety. A complement of resources including heavy vehicle barriers as well as heavy equipment and trucks from the Fire, Police, T/PW, Water, and Park and Recreation departments are utilized and can be strategically placed along the perimeter of the event. At the end of the planning process, the SEER unit will collate individual FWPD division/unit and CFW department plans into a final overall Operations Plan for the event. They will ensure all personnel involved in the Operations Plan are made aware of the final Operations Plan. As with any planning process, continuous monitoring during the event is essential. The SEER unit monitors the event in real-time and adjusts personnel and resources as needed to ensure the health and safety of all involved. An after-action report is completed once the event has concluded to document any issues that occurred to allow for better planning for future events. If you have any questions about this information, please contact Assistant Chief Joseph Sparrow at 817- 392-4231 or Joseph.Sparrow(a�fortworthtexas.gov. David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS