All eyes were on Philly for the Democratic National Convention. Very few eyes were on the work being done behind the scenes by local, state, and federal agencies to prepare for a possible emergency. And that’s exactly how it should be.
As speeches and performances happened on stages, representatives from FEMA Region III, the Secret Service, Philadelphia police and fire departments, Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, the FBI, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Office of Emergency Management, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Parks Service, and many more worked in close collaboration to keep the convention and surrounding area safe and secure.
The last time all of these agencies came together for an event such as this was in September 2015 for Pope Francis’s visit to Philadelphia. Both the Papal Visit and the DNC were classified as National Special Security Events—a designation made by the Secretary of Homeland Security. The Secret Service has the lead role in developing the operational security plan for National Special Security Events—the implementation of which relies heavily on the partnerships the agency already has with law enforcement and public safety officials at all levels of government.
Considering the number of demonstrations and protestors in the city and the thunderstorms that caused torrential downpours off and on throughout the week, there was much to monitor and there were several incidents that could have escalated. And yet, due in large measure to local, state and federal coordination, the protests remained peaceful—a testament to both the demonstrators and the Philadelphia police and other officials on the scene.
It was fascinating to witness firsthand how the local and state agencies research and respond to operational events. Calls came in about everything from the number of citations issued, to road and subway closures, the location of demonstrations, and numerous operational conference calls, and if an agency representative couldn’t provide an answer immediately, then he or she would get in touch with his or her counterparts at the scene, and follow up to provide situational awareness and inform decision-makers as soon as possible.
In the end, our support to federal, state, and local officials was not visible to the general public, so we achieved our goal. In completing our mission, FEMA Region III performed in sync with our emergency management partners. Region III (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia) hosts approximately half of all National Special Security Events in a given year. Soon, the Inauguration will be upon us and once again, and we will gather with the ensemble of state, federal, and local partners behind the scenes to make sure it goes successfully.
