TEEX helps Houston emergency personnel prepare for Super Bowl LI

COLLEGE STATION – Nearly 650 emergency
responders in the Houston metropolitan area are better prepared for the
upcoming Super Bowl LI thanks, in part, to training they received from the
Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX).

 

Over the
past two years, TEEX has trained Houston-area emergency personnel in courses
related to critical infrastructure protection, threat and risk assessment,
sports and special events risk management, incident management, disaster
response, cyber incident preparedness, response to hazmat/WMD incidents, and
protective measures for biological incidents.

 

Tens of thousands of fans
plan to attend the NFL’s pinnacle event on Feb. 5 at the NRG Stadium in Houston,
where the Atlanta Falcons will face the New England Patriots. Up to 1 million people are also expected to visit the fan festival,
Super Bowl LIVE, and the NFL Experience in downtown Houston.

 

“TEEX’s
National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center, in cooperation with the other members of the
National Domestic Preparedness Consortium and with our partners at NCS
⁴, has delivered numerous courses to assist responders
in the Houston area prepare for this national event,” said Jesse Watkins,
Director of Operations for NERRTC. “This training was DHS/FEMA-funded and
provided at no cost to the individual participants.”

 

The
specialized courses were delivered as part of the Homeland Security National
Training Program. Some of the training was conducted in cooperation with the
University of Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports
Safety and Security (NCS ⁴).

 

TEEX has
already met with city officials and emergency managers in Minneapolis/St. Paul,
the site of Super Bowl 52, and has begun offering training to emergency
personnel in the area.