RRM Contingency Planning Presentation

“WHAT DO YOU DO IF…”A Guide to Contingency Planning for Road Race Directors

by Dave McGillivray

CONTINGENCY PLANWho’s presenting today?

It’s 90 degrees…I hear thunder…It’s the pothole from Hell…They ran out of ambulances…It’s starting to rain…The key person went home sick…The lead vehicle got lost…They didn’t obtain the permit…The bridge is going up…Someone died…The porta-potties are locked…The mayor is angry…The microphone doesn’t work…The road construction started early…We don’t have enough cups…A train is coming…The bibs are numbered wrong…The wind collapsed the tents…I thought YOU brought the zip ties…The forecast is for snow…The cops are on strike…The battery on the lift is dead…

WHY ME?

MURPHY’S LAWYes, it applies to road races.

McGILLIVRAY’S LAW…And the EXPERIENCED event director

is PREPARED for it!

MURPHY’S LAWAnything that can go wrong, will go wrong!

WHAT DO YOU DO IF…? A Guide to Contingency Planning

PREPARATIONIf you’re not prepared for EVERYTHING, you’re not prepared for ANYTHING.

Who knowswhat thisimage is?

At least I’m not HIM!

WHY ME???

CONTINGENCYPLANNING

Addressing allforeseeable problems

OUTSIDE OF your controlin advance

EVENTPLANNING

Addressing allforeseeable problems

WITHIN your controlin advance

CRISISMANAGEMENT

Dealing witha significant problemwhich threatens the

organizationwhen it occurs

COMMON PROBLEMS IN ROAD RACES

WEATHERPROBLEMS

“SMOOTH AS SILK”…until the temperature hits 88 degrees with high humidity

WEATHER PROBLEMS EXAMPLE #1

EVENT:1987 California International MarathonSacramento, CaliforniaSubmitted by John Mansoor

CHALLENGES:Hurricane winds of 50 mphDriving rainsFalling trees

RESPONSE:Took down banners and tentsRace went on despite weather

EVENT:2007 Twin Cities MarathonMinneapolis-St. Paul, MinnesotaSubmitted by Brian Mastel

CHALLENGES:Temperatures reached high 80’sFluid consumption exceeded budgetRecord drop-outs and strained medical resources

RESPONSE: Monitor and review hot weather plan with the Ops Team Contacted the water supplier and bus companies early in the

week to have additional resources on standby Notify hospital ER's, followed Mass Casualty Incident plan

WEATHER PROBLEMS EXAMPLE #2

COURSEDISRUPTION

EVENT:1992 KeyBank Vermont City MarathonVermont City, VermontSubmitted by Joe Connelly

CHALLENGES:Rail yard lost job sheetRail yard employees began to move trainsRunners were still crossing tracks

RESPONSE:Course director parked vehicle on tracks

COURSE DISRUPTION EXAMPLE #1

EVENT:2009 Fifth Third River Bank 25K RunGrand Rapids, MichiganSubmitted by Kristen Aidif

CHALLENGES: Heavy flooding left standing water on course

route with less than one week left to event Event was USATF 25K national championship

RESPONSE:Quickly designed and certified new courseNotified participants and volunteers via emailKept media informed throughout process

EVENT:2009 Wine Country Half MarathonSanta Barbara, CaliforniaSubmitted by Matt Dockstader

CHALLENGES: Jesusita Fire nearby evacuates 30,000 people, closes

roads, jeopardizes air conditions and limits public safety personnel availability

RESPONSE: Used website, email and local media to keep runners and

volunteers updated Last minute weather improvements allowed race to go on

with limited public safety staff

DATABASE/TIMINGISSUES

EVENT:2008 Jingle Bell RunSpringfield, IllinoisSubmitted by Alan Avery

CHALLENGES: Organizer re-sorted the participant database after printing

packet labels then sends it to timer Database submitted to timer did not match physical bibs

handed out to participants

RESPONSE: Unused packets and numbers were quickly reassigned to

pre-registered participants in alphabetical order

DATABASE/TIMING ISSUES EXAMPLE

PERSONNEL/PUBLIC SAFETYISSUES

EVENT:1979 Mardi Gras MarathonNew Orleans, LouisianaSubmitted by Mike Cambre

CHALLENGES: With only weeks left, the New Orleans Police Dept. went on

strike, eliminating all public safety support.

RESPONSE: The event was moved to the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

which was shut down at both ends to accommodate the event.

PERSONNAL/PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES EXAMPLE

EQUIPMENT/MATERIALISSUES

EVENT:2009 Pittsburgh MarathonPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaSubmitted by Patrice Matamoros

CHALLENGES: Days prior to the event, the cups from the water sponsor

arrived. Upon opening the boxes, organizers discovered that the cups were styrofoam.

The sponsor insisted on their use.

RESPONSE: Organizers used the cups and were “slammed” by the

participants for safety and environmental concerns. New specifications were established for future events.

EQUIPMENT/MATERIAL ISSUES EXAMPLE #1

EVENT:2007 U.S. 10K ClassicMarietta, GeorgiaSubmitted by Skip Breeser

CHALLENGES: Water for a 7,500 participant race was parked in a secured

compound with electronic metal fencing. Lightening hit the gates the night before the event, disabling

the electronic gate.

RESPONSE: With minutes to spare, the fire department’s emergency

response team cut the gate open.

EQUIPMENT/MATERIAL ISSUES EXAMPLE #2

EVENT CANCELLATION

EVENT:2008 Miles for MoffittTampa, FloridaSubmitted by Susan Meadows

CHALLENGES: Wildfires burning in Georgia and north Florida forced

cancellation of the race the day prior to the event.

RESPONSE: Disaster plan was executed – All participants, volunteers

and general public were notified by email, radio PSAs, posters, all news media outlets, and board members at the event site on race morning

Event was rescheduled four weeks later.

CANCELLATION EXAMPLE #1

EVENT:2003 Washington DC MarathonWashington, DCSubmitted by Beth Salinger

CHALLENGES: Iraq war began days prior to the event. Local officials urged

its cancellation “due to security issues.”

RESPONSE: Email went out Wednesday after which the phones and

inbound email were turned off. Several hundred runners staged their own Unofficial

Washington DC Marathon on the same course without public safety support or registration fees.

CANCELLATION EXAMPLE #2

BEST PRACTICES FOR CONTINGENCY PLANNING• Being PREPARED is the biggest asset.

BE PREPARED.You have no idea when the shit storm will ensue.

• Documentation provides emphasis and reference material.

“DECISION MAKING BOX”

Sean RyanRace Director

(at Start)

Cal KrommRace Ops Mgr

(in vehicle on course)

National Weather Service

Local Public SafetyDirectors

Water StationCaptains

Water Station DirectorSarah Malooly

Public Safety Officers(Field)

*SEVERE WEATHER = LIGHTNING OR TORNADO

Dr. ObmaMedical Director

Div. Chief Dan GunnPublic Safety

Director

“DECISION MAKING BOX”Sean Ryan

Race Director(at Start)

Cal KrommRace Ops Mgt

(in vehicle on course)

National Weather Service

Communications Director

Bonnie Cayemberg

RUNNERS, VOLUNTEERS AND SPECTATORSMESSAGE: “Go to the nearest water station and wait for a shuttle to pick you up.”

Medical Director

Heidi Gutschow

Medical Personnel

Water Station Captains

Water StationDirector

Sarah Malooly

Info Tent

Finish Line Announcer

VIP Tent

Lambeau

Technology Director

Janet Process

NetNetTechs

Media Relations Director

Lisa Hildebrand

Sports Radio 107.5

WFRVTV-5

OtherMedia

Lead / SAGVehicles

Shauna Coleman

Bus DirectorCindi Lawler

BusDrivers

LocalPublic Safety

Directors

Public Safety Officers(Field)

Dr. ObmaMedical Director

Div. Chief Dan GunnPublic Safety

Director

• Bring all key parties to the table BEFORE the race.

INVOLVE ALL DEPARTMENTS.Avoid “we were neither asked nor informed.”

• Have constant follow up – Don’t assume everyone “GETS IT.”

DUHThere’s one in every crowd.

• Have multiple fall back plans if possible (Plan B, Plan C, etc.)

PLAN BA good back up plan never hurts.

• Centralize communication and crisis decision making… Have a Unified Command Center and know who is in it.

COMMAND CENTERJust pick someplace.

• Timing is critical–WHEN it happens is as important as WHAT.

TIMINGYou go inside BEFORE the giant wave of doom hits.

• Make sure all information is CREDIBLE.

CREDIBLE INFORMATIONMake sure it’s objective and verifiable .

• A solid race day communication system/plan is essential.

COMMUNICATIONS PLANFunction over fashion

• A solid race day communication system/plan is essential.

• Accept that you can’t anticipate EVERYTHING.

D’OH!Expect it once per race minimum.

“If all other contingency plans fail, we do have one final backup plan…”

CRISIS MANAGEMENTRecognize when you are in over your head.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT is the process by which an organization deals with a major unpredictable event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public. Three elements are common to most definitions of crisis: (a) a threat to the organization, (b) the element of surprise, and (c) a short decision time.

(Wikipedia 2009)

CRISIS LEADERSHIPIf all else fails, hide behind a tree!

REMEMBERDON’T PANIC!!!

THREE CORNERSTONESOF CRISIS MANAGEMENT

OPERATIONSWhat should be done immediately to solve the

crisis?

PUBLIC RELATIONSWho needs to know?How should the information be communicated?

HUMAN RELATIONSHow and when to deal with those involved?How to keep them focused on primary objectives?

MITIGATION & PREVENTION

PREPAREDNESS

RESPONSE

RECOVERY

CONTINGENCY PLANNINGAND

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

…A NEVERENDING PROCESS

PREPARATION“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Benjamin Franklin

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