FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Keynotes Announced for National Marathon Safety and Security Summit
Marathon officials from across the country will converge on The University
of Southern Mississippi's Hattiesburg campus Dec. 16-18 for the National
Marathon Safety and Security Summit, hosted by the National Center for
Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4). The goal of the summit is to
establish best practices by addressing major safety and security issues
through input from marathon event administrators, government officials,
city/state/federal law enforcement, city planners, emergency managers,
first responders, health services, and fire/HazMat services.
To identify best practices, significant safety and security issues have
been narrowed down to the following six topics: Event Day Plan:
Public/Private Collaboration, Crowd Dynamics/ Management, Emergency Action
Planning, Risk and Threat Assessment/Vulnerabilities and Planning, Staff
Performance, and Technology Use/Implementation & Innovation/Information
Management.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Jim Estes, Director of
Events at USA Track and Field, discussing the importance of safety
planning: "Safety, It Doesn't Just Happen." The National Governing Body,
USA Track & Field, recognizes the need for a comprehensive approach to
safety and security. Working together with the attendees and NCS4, Estes
believes a plan will be developed that can be tailored for all of the 7,500
events that USATF Sanctions, as well as the running and endurance industry.
NCS4 also welcomes Commissioner William Evans of the Boston Police
Department, who will offer unique perspective with his keynote address,
"The Importance of Developing Best Practices for Marathon Events."
Attendees can expect to hear from several other industry leaders including
opening remarks from Peter Ciaccia, TCS New York City Marathon, Rich
Harshbarger, Running USA, a kickoff by Chris Thorpe, FBI, "Protecting the
Homeland: There is a Role for Everyone," and a special lunch briefing from
Rich Serino, FEMA, "The Future of Safety and Security for Marathon Events."
NCS4 will host a variety of facilitators and panelists at the Summit,
including:
Facilitators:
- John Bertsch, Director, Public Safety Emergency Management, IRONMAN®
World Championships Events
- Josh Nemzer, Operations Manager, Boston Marathon
- Rich Serino, Former Deputy Administrator, Federal Emergency?Management
Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Fred Gardy, Director of Security, Circuit of Americas
- Russ Simons, Managing Partner, Venue Solutions Group
- Daniel Ward, Coordinator of Training, Exercise, and Assessment,
National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4)
Event Operations: Major Safety and Security Issues Panel
Facilitator: Mike Nishi, SVP/General Manager, Chicago Event Management,
Inc.
- Virginia Brophy Achman, Executive Director, Twin Cities Marathon
- Wade Morehead, Executive Director, Houston Marathon
- Doug Thurston, Race Director/Executive Director, Big Sur International
Marathon
Public Safety: Major Safety and Security Issues Panel
Facilitator: Dr. Stu Weiss, Medical Director, TCS New York Marathon
- Joe Valiente, Former New Orleans PD
- Dr. Rick Guynes, Medical Director, Mississippi Blues Marathon
- Dr. Jenny Atas, MD, FACEP - Medical Director, Detroit Free Press/Talmer
Bank Marathon
- Lt. Ed Trapp, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
Event Support: Major Safety and Security Issues Panel
Facilitator: Kyle McLaughlin, Senior Manager, Events & Logistics, TCS New
York City Marathon
- Don McKinnon, Special Events Section, DHS Operations, Coordination and
Planning
- George Banker, Operations Manager, Army Ten-Miler
- Dr. George Chiampas, Medical Director, Bank of America Chicago Marathon
- Don McKinnon, Chief, DHS Special Events Program, Office of Operations
Coordination and Planning
Seating is limited, reserve your spot today at
https://www.ncs4.com/events/marathon-summit.
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