Inauguration Day a Mass Gathering Learning Opportunity

Keeping the crowds safe and flowing smoothly on Inauguration Day is a huge task -- and an even bigger learning opportunity.

That's why fire-rescue crews stationed at the inauguration command center had some company.

Officials from Montgomery County, MD., Philadelphia, Mount Laurel, N.J. and Chesterfield County, Va. are stationed in D.C. for the day to learn how to better conduct safety operations in their own communities.

"This is just a great experience," said Battalion Chief Henry Costo. "There's not going to be a bigger event than this."

Costo, along with Philadelphia Captain Jesse Wilson, traveled to D.C. two weeks ago to sit in on a planning meeting.

"The planning process was every bit as valuable as this," he said, referring to today's activity.

Wilson said seeing Washington's incident action plan change and develop was a great learning experience. He said it was also interesting to see officials in the command center adapt and respond as various emergencies developed in the field.

"I see innumerable ways to enhance operations in Philadelphia," he said.

Philadelphia has had its share of big events. Last summer, they had to deal with the Phillies winning the World Series and the city's Independence Day celebration, where Elton John performed, within days of each other. And Costo said officials had only a small window of time in which to plan.

He said because D.C. deals with large crowd control on a pretty frequent basis, they have become practiced at utilizing the National Incident Management System.

With a population of 50,000 and taking up 22 square miles, the city of Mount Laurel, N.J. is much smaller than D.C. or Philadelphia, but Battalion Chief Greg Collier said what he learns today would be a huge benefit to his department, just the same.

He said no matter the scale of an event, some of the details don't change.

"It's nice to see what we're doing in a small town in New Jersey, they are also doing in a major metropolitan city like the District of Columbia."

He said it's his job to scale back what he learns today, and apply it to his own community.

"What I'll take back is some of the issues," he said. "I have seen those same things when we ramp up an operation center."

Chesterfield County, Va. Battalion Chief A. Lee Williams said he, along with two other Battalion Chiefs are here to learn how to improve operations in their own state.

"We're looking at the possibility of forming a local incident management team," he said.

Williams said when he goes back home, he hopes to compare D.C.'s practices with his own department's practices -- and use that information to create the best possible operating standards for his community.

Williams spoke highly of the way today's events were handled.

"D.C. Fire and EMS has got a lot to be proud of," he said. "They've done an outstanding job."

Related News:

• Crowds, Cold Challenge D.C. Responders at Inauguration
• Woman Trapped by Metro Train as Crowds Head to Inauguration
• Inaugural Response: An Inside Look

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