For Safety's Sake.

• Author: Ward, Lisa Cilva

Utah's Olympic Public Safety Command Gears Up for the Olympics

Over 7,000 public safety workers are needed to ensure the focus of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games remains where intended: on the Olympic athletes and the culture and hospitality of Salt Lake City.

In 1998, the Utah State Legislature committed to meeting this need by creating an umbrella organization to oversee public safety related to the Games -- the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command (UOPSC). The organization's $25 million operation unifies law enforcement, federal agents, fire service, public works, emergency management, and emergency medical services to provide seamless public safety functions during the 2002 Games for athletes, visitors, residents and businesses.

The UOPSC consists of 20 top public safety professionals, including personnel from the Department of Defense, Secret Service, FBI, State Emergency Management office, and local fire chiefs, Robert Flowers, the state's commissioner of Public Safety, serves as chairman, and over 50 affiliated agencies lend their professional expertise to the planning efforts.

The UOPSC's planning builds on the successful processes and procedures already used by Salt Lake's emergency response agencies. "There was no reason to reinvent the wheel," says UOPSC's public relations director Chris Kramer. "We will use the same systems and practices we use every day, but we'll amplify them during the Games."

Planning relies on lessons learned from previous Games to prepare for the volume of visitors and complex situations that might arise during an event of Olympic size and scope. Still, according to Kramer, the agencies and jurisdictions that normally handle a specific type of safety event will continue to do so, with additional support provided by the UOPSC. "We draw support resources and volunteer workers from all over, including out of state, and public safety agencies from around the world."

Kramer reports that although most support personnel will be sponsored by their...