Utilizing Venue Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) Surveillance as an Emergency Management Tool to Safeguard Vulnerable Persons

Background

It is critical to proactively manage spectator flow at event venues where mass?gatherings occur. Although a function of venue security, medical teams are key role players in safety management. A vulnerable person (VP) can be defined as a minor or a person with either a physical and or mental disability, pregnant females, elderly, groups with minors, and infants. Stampedes or riots at sporting events are significant concerns to events’ management teams. VP’s are at higher risk of injury in crowded conditions than any other spectators.

Observations

During the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM, each site had a venue operations centre (VOC) within which a multidisciplinary team was responsible for operations oversight. The Al Khor and Industrial Area Fan zones were paired sites. The emergency medical service venue commanders (EMSVC) rotated between these two sites allowing for an in-depth familiarity with site layouts, operations, stakeholders, and staff. The EMSVC actively utilized closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance to identify VP’s. The close collaboration between security and medical commanders, enabled efficient decision-making and plan implementation. When required additional inflow gates, for VP’s were opened in the interest of safety. Furthermore, medical teams were informed and positioned in close proximity to the VP’s.

Findings

CCTV was instrumental in safeguarding VP’s during the recent World Cup in Qatar, within a multidisciplinary approach.3 Communication was a critical factor between the VOC and the front-line teams. VP’s frequently moved through the fan zone to specific areas. Our findings from using CCTV as an emergency management tool is summarized in Table 1.

Conclusion

The cohesion of a multidisciplinary team is imperative to operations. The VOC needs to contend with several unanticipated challenges and will need to action decisions promptly. From our experience, the expanded utilization of CCTV is valuable in event management.