Tackling Risk

Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM, BY STEPHANIE SILK

Helmets, pads and gloves are normally on hand at each year's Super Bowl to protect the players and keep the game safe. However, protecting the stadium and the people inside requires more than just some tough gear. With the high-profile nature of the Super Bowl and its designation as a level-one national security event by the Department of Homeland Security, police and security agencies in host cities typically employ the latest technologies to ensure the security and safety of those attending the event.

At Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3 at University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Ariz., onlookers were busy for the most part keeping up with the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. But outside the yardlines and inside the no-fly zone — a 30-mile radius of the stadium — were other security measures, including products from Zebra Technologies, Vernon Hills, Ill. It supplied this year's Super Bowl with its TLP 3844-Z compact thermal printers to play a critical role in the emergency identification and site access control systems provided at the game.

The Glendale Fire Department contracted with RockWest Technology Group, Denver, an integrator of photo identification, to implement the rapidTAG system from Salamander Technologies, Traverse City, Mich., a provider of personnel accountability solutions. The rapidTAG system provided the 63,400-seat stadium with on-scene site passes of authorized personnel to control site access and ensure identification and accountability of emergency responders. The system uses a scanner to capture ID data from each individual's driver's license and other credentials indicating the person's agency, assignment and qualifications. The data is stored in the incident management database, and the Zebra printer prints out a 3-in. by 5-in. custom-designed barcoded pass.

Salamander's fireTRAX system was also used on the grounds surrounding the site. It uses electronic incident command, mobile-computing and manual accountability protocols to manage the personnel and equipment surrounding the stadium.

According to Steve Benitez, vice president of sales for RockWest, the Zebra thermal printer provides the performance and versatility needed for the job. “Our Salamander accountability systems require different types of barcoded tags to be created quickly right at the scene. These include site access and ID tags for emergency response personnel, emergency equipment ID tags and wristband IDs for potential patients or evacuees,” Benitez explains. “The Zebra desktop model TLP 3844-Z can handle all three types of media interchangeably, with speed and efficiency. Plus, they are compact enough to fit inside our portable incident management kits, rugged enough to withstand heavy use and simple enough for non-technical personnel to use in the field.”

The site passes are inserted into a clear plastic enclosure designed to be worn around the neck, so they can be scanned at any time and at any checkpoint.

Glendale Police and paramedics also used Segway Personal Transporters (PT) from Segway Inc., Bedford, N.H., to patrol the event for stadium emergency medical response. The Segway PT is a self-balancing, zero-emission transportation device that can travel up to 12.5 mph.

Segway models i2, suited for urban and suburban transportation, and x2, a model with a wider wheel track equipped with all-terrain tires enabling it to travel across rougher surfaces of dirt, gravel or sand, patrolled the walkways, parking lots and exhibition areas around the venue.

The Glendale Fire Department owns eight Segway Pts, which are useful for patrolling large events because of their ability to stand still, turn in place or travel with pedestrian flow, enabling officers to move through crowds more easily than they could in another mode of transportation. The extra 8 in. of height also gives officers high sight lines.

“The Segway PT is a safe and productive way for us to enhance our security presence at large-scale events such as the Super Bowl,” says Jim Toomey, public information officer for the Glendale Police Department. “Moreover, this stadium is one of the most technologically advanced venues in the world, and the simplicity and efficiency of the Segway PT is a perfect fit for this environment.”

“We are extremely proud to have Segway police models playing an important role in the security, safety and environmental profile of Super Bowl XLII,” says Chip MacDonald, director of police and security sales at Segway Inc.

In order for the 63,400 seats to be filled, each stadium-goer had to pass through a screening system from Security Detection, Watertown, Mass. The company sent 41 walk-through metal detectors to the big game. Also provided by Security Detection were 250 handheld devices and four X-ray machines.

Screening at a rate of 300 to 350 people per hour, fans encountered a slow entrance. But Michael White of Security Detection says it was necessary. “We were looking for any guns, knives, explosive devices, anything that can harm somebody,” White says.

Also at the event, the teams weren't the only people being watched closely. More than 200,000 spectators, citizens, dignitaries and U.S. officials visiting downtown Phoenix during the weekend of Super Bowl XLII were surveyed by a wireless video surveillance system from Firetide Inc., Los Gatos, Calif.

The department has installed nearly 40 video surveillance cameras in and around downtown Phoenix. Forty Firetide mesh nodes wirelessly connect the cameras to operations centers where state, local and federal public safety agencies work together. This wireless system allowed the police department to decrease traffic congestion and reduce the risk of incident escalations. Specially trained agents monitor the real-time video streams and coordinate responses.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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