By Matthew Adams
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH, Texas — If you live or otherwise spend time in the vicinity of TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium, don’t be alarmed by the sound of gunfire and shouting over the next couple of days.
On Oct. 27 and 28, area first responders are conducting emergency preparedness drills at TCU in advance of next year’s FIFA World Cup, during which nine games will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Over the course of about a month, tens of thousands of spectators and fans are expected to descend upon North Texas, which brings added security concerns.
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In addition to TCU, 14 other sites in Tarrant, Collin and Dallas counties are hosting response maneuvers in coordination with approximately 100 area agencies, which include police departments, fire departments and local hospitals.
At Amon G. Carter Stadium on Oct. 27, SWAT officers in full body armor trained for what appeared to be an active shooter scenario, storming the stadium’s concourses with rifles drawn. At one point, the pop of simulated gunfire echoed from the end zone.
Rose Hoffman, a city of Willow Park spokesperson, was on site as a media liaison. She said public information officers like herself were also taking part in the drills, preparing for how to disseminate and share information in the event of an incident during the World Cup.
“We’re going to be focusing on interagency cooperation across multiple sites to make sure all of our communications systems work correctly, and also that we’re able to coordinate together as a group,” Hoffman said.
Elsewhere in Tarrant County, drills are being conducted at the Fort Worth Police Department’s Bob Bolen Public Safety Complex and at Six Flags in Arlington. As far as other stadiums, Riders Field in Frisco, home of the Frisco RoughRiders, is hosting maneuvers.
Fort Worth is already preparing for an influx of visitors for the World Cup next June and July. City officials have said plans are underway to beef up the public transportation infrastructure and security protocols, as well as market area attractions and businesses to prospective guests and the worldwide media.
Sonny Saxton, Fort Worth’s director of emergency communications and management, told the City Council in September that the Fort Worth Police Department, the Fort Worth Fire Department and hospitals have all been involved in planning for crowd management and emergency response.
Michael Crum, director of Fort Worth’s public events department, said the city will be well prepared by next summer to handle a large number of visitors while ensuring everyday services are not affected.
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