The FIFA World Cup, the most prestigious tournament in international football, captivates billions of fans worldwide. Beyond the exhilarating matches and roaring crowds, a critical aspect of hosting such a massive event is ensuring the safety and security of players, officials, fans, and host communities. There are multiple unique challenges for emergency planners when it comes to hosting global major events.
Integrated Emergency Planning
Integrated emergency planning entails proactive collaboration among various stakeholders, including community and government agencies, emergency responders, critical infrastructure operators, and event organizers. Establishing a unified governance structure helps to form a consolidated view of planning activities, delivery risks, and progress. Functioning in this way also helps foster relationships, well in advance of the event itself, allowing for a seamless transition into event time operations.
As a host of the World Cup, the Lower Mainland is inviting the world to stay, and given the global nature of the tournament, international cooperation enhances the ability to address transnational threats and ensure a world leading delivery. Vancouver will need to collaborate with international organizations and competing nations governments. Many countries who have hosted similar events are often willing to share their experiences and resources to support the safe and successful delivery of the event.
Comprehensive Risk Assessment
The first step in effective emergency management is conducting a comprehensive risk assessment. For major events, like the World Cup, it is no different. This involves identifying potential hazards, such as natural disasters, civil unrest, terrorism threats, and public health emergencies that could impact the event. Through collaborative risk assessment with local and international agencies, entities can develop targeted emergency response plans that are proportionate to the changing risks an event of this scale can bring to the area.
Integrated Operational Response
Many Vancouverites will remember the Olympic Operational Command Centre (OCC) during the 2010 Winter Olympics. The OCC served as a central hub for coordinating security and emergency management efforts during the Games bringing together various agencies, including law enforcement, emergency services, municipalities, critical infrastructure, and Olympic organizers, to ensure the safety and smooth operation of the events. Co-location into a central coordinating entity that can monitor and respond to incidents, manage resources, and facilitate effective communication among all stakeholders involved in the security and emergency response efforts is still best practice.
The 2026 World Cup will span the whole North American continent, operating across 16 cities, three countries and their respective football associations. The tournament consists of 104 super bowl sized matches. Vancouver will host at least five games within a three-week period in July 2026. Establishing an integrated operational structure that is coordinated and flexible to satisfy the needs of the various stakeholders as well as ensuring a safe event delivery is a crucial element. All under the gaze of an expected audience of 320 million people per match.
Training and Exercises
Training and exercise programs are vital components of effective emergency management. Equally imperative is the need to train and test event organizers and stakeholders ahead of the event itself, especially when new arrangements have been put in place. This training and exercising program needs to commence soon, as the time to validate plans, and incorporate lessons learned into the plans before kick-off is increasingly shortening.
By embracing these principles, Planners will be ready to ensure the safety and security of everyone, delivering an unforgettable tournament experience while effectively managing emergencies that may arise.
With experience supporting similar events, such as the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the team at CCEM understands how important planning is for global events, as well as how much work goes into preparing for it!