While some preparations are coming down to the wire just days away from the Super Bowl LX kickoff at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, the EMS and fire operations are already up and running.
A large contingent of paramedics, EMTs, nurses, physicians and others have been on the ground providing EMS care for more than a week, attending fan appreciation events, the Pro Bowl and other related functions.
Leading the planning and coordination of EMS and fire services is Bryan Frieders, director of health and safety at Redrock Entertainment.
“We basically oversee all the medical, EMS, fire -- the whole nine yards," Frieders told Firehouse.com. "Our role is coordinating all the load in, all the things that are happening during the build out for the stadium and then, obviously, the fan experience that they're doing up in the city.”
Coordinating emergency services is in Frieders’ wheelhouse. For years, he oversaw plans for the Rose Bowl and Rose Bowl Parade.
He retired from the Pasadena, CA, Fire Department as deputy chief in 2016 after making his way through the ranks with the San Gabriel, CA, Fire Department.
Just as in previous events, Frieders was quick to point out that the Super Bowl planning is a collaborative effort involving myriad departments responsible for handling emergencies.
As San Francisco Fire Department, along with AMR, handle calls in the city, Frieders said the standby during the Pro Bowl was a joint effort, which is how it’s done in other jurisdictions.
“It's really a six-month process to get this up and running. We actually went to a game to see how the stadium operates during a normal football game and watched crowd ingress and egress. We wanted to see what types of emergencies they handle as well as the potential challenges.”
The championship game isn’t the only event that requires additional resources. There are buildouts outside the stadium that accommodate 50,000 or 60,000 people. There are parties for the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference. People have high profile parties, and there are tailgates.
Throughout the interview with Firehouse.com, Frieders mentioned the importance of teamwork. A few of them are Guy Klima, Troy Lutrick and Dr. Eric Ossman.
They play off one another and bring their A-team effort to the game.
Security is handled by NFL Security Chief Kathy Lanier, former D.C. Metropolitan police chief.
“She does a really good job, and has a really good team of folks,” Frieders said, adding that it’s vital that the coordinators work together to keep fans and stadium employees safe.
Making sure transportation corridors remain open is just one of the moving parts that’s vital.
Officials from local hospitals have been involved in the process and developed plans about the "what-if" scenarios.
Having doctors in the medical tents stationed throughout the venues is expected to cut down on the transports to hospitals. The goal is for people to be treated on site and released.
“We don’t want to inundate the local urgent care facilities and hospitals.”
Coordinators know the centers that offer specialized care for stroke and cardiac patients.
“We work with like Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Management. They have been great and super supportive.”
As with any major EMS or fire incident, a unified command system has been established. Authorities from various agencies are present to make decisions.
“There's one central location for us to send calls and dispatch calls to the respective teams and that way everybody's having face to face communications everybody's talking everybody knows what's going on 100% of the time.”
During the Super Bowl, Frieders will be roaming through the stadium, keeping an ear and an eye out.
Just as the players on the field, the EMS and fire crews have their game plans ready.
About the Author
Susan Nicol
News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.