In 2006, through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, Tampa, Fla., Fire Rescue was awarded funding to augment its training program through the use of video-conferencing technology. Even though training was the intended primary purpose of this technology, other benefits included post-incident critiques, executive staff meetings, middle-level manager meetings and district/battalion group meetings.

When planning started for Super Bowl XLIII, played Feb. 1, 2009, an additional benefit was quickly realized since many of the venues were spread across the city. Super Bowls are classified as a national security event, thus we needed to develop a collaborative preparedness and response plan with various local, state and federal agencies. Since emergency preparedness planners have long recognized communications (or a lack thereof) as a potential weakness to successful operations, increased reliability of this important operational component was required.

Video-conference technology provided the ability to interact and communicate point to point, or point to several points, in real time and over large distances -- as if conversations were occurring face to face, without the cost and downtime associated with travel.

Video-conference technology helped revolutionize the way Tampa communicated between the various National Incident Management System (NIMS) organizational positions during this extended event. Since credentialing and security is a big concern for national security events, Tampa’s equipment, with its built-in encrypted protection, assured that all information passed was secure.

Several command centers and branches were created to manage the command and control for this event. These included the Unified Command (UC), Joint Operations Center (JOC), Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Stadium Branch, Downtown Branch, Westshore Branch and Marine Branch. In short, the UC managed the operations for all planned events based on the daily Incident Action Plan and the information approved for release by the Joint Information Center. The JOC received, analyzed and disseminated applicable intelligence information. The EOC supported the UC and area branches.

The Stadium Branch managed the activities around the stadium and Super Bowl. The Downtown Branch managed the NFL hotel, media center and venues occurring around the downtown footprint. The Westshore Branch managed the two teams’ hotels, movements to and from practice facilities, and the Tactical Operations Center. The Marine Branch managed the civilian and commercial vessel movements in and out of the port.

Video-conference equipment provided the capability for personnel in the various centers and branches to share information and collaborate naturally, thus increasing our communication capability and effectiveness without decreasing services. This consolidated approach to information gathering and reporting enhanced the overall operational readiness by allowing branch managers to be decentralized, while centralizing the ability to communicate in a seamless environment. The ability for all stakeholders to see, hear and ask questions of those individuals who were giving updates greatly increased the UC’s efficiency and effectiveness in managing this high-profile and widespread event.         

Communications will always be a mission-critical element when planning for large-scale events. However, through the integration of video-conference technology, the all-too-familiar communications shortcomings related to command and control that are discussed during many after-action critiques can be minimized.



Michael Gonzalez has been employed as a professional firefighter since 1984, and is currently the special operations chief for Tampa Fire Rescue.