NCJ Number
194543
Journal
National Fire & Rescue Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2002 Pages: 21-26
Date Published
2002
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes how the Salt Lake City (Utah) Fire Department (SLCFD) handled the task of providing fire safety for the Winter Olympic Games.
Abstract
The SLCFD has a protection district of roughly 100 square miles, and protects an average weekday population of 350,000. In 2001, they responded to approximately 30,000 calls for service. During the Winter Olympics, there was an estimated 1.2 million visitors to the city over a period of 17 days. The athletes representing between 75 and 80 nations numbered 2,400. There were 140 separate events, with a total of 165 sports/sessions; and 15 separate competition and noncompetition venues spread out over a 90-mile area. There were 11,000 security personnel, 20,000 volunteers, and 5,000 members of the media. A Salt Lake City Olympic Committee (SLOC) was formed to be the onsite organizational body responsible for making the Olympics happen in Salt Lake City. They were considered the top of the organizational ladder. A branch called the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command (UOPSC) included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Secret Service, bomb squads, and branches of the military. The UOPSC maintained a command post called the Olympic Command Post, which was in operation 24 hours a day. Nine of the Olympic Competition Venues were not located in the SLCFD district. A branch of the UOPSC was responsible for coordinating all fire protection, fire suppression, emergency medical services (EMS), and medical transport agencies involved in the games. This branch was designated as Fire/EMS 2002. To provide the most quick and efficient EMS response within the Olympic Square and Olympic Medals Plaza venues, the SLCFD used a combination of foot patrols, bike teams and John Deere “Gator” teams. Each of the Gators was specially modified to carry EMS equipment and a backboard, and came equipped with its own mini-lightbar. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was on hand with emergency response in case of Utah’s natural challenges, which include winter storms, avalanches, and flooding.