HOMELAND SECURITY EXERCISES FOR THE WINTER OLYMPICS 2002

CRA supported the homeland security exercises in preparation for the XIX Olympic Winter Games in Utah 2002. These exercises were designated as a National Special Security Event (NSSE). Contracted with the Department of Justice, Office for State and Local Domestic Preparedness Support (OSLDPS), CRA, Inc. provided technical assistance, training, and exercise support to the State of Utah and the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command (UOPSC). CRA-USA's support foucsed on preparing federal, state, local and private sector agency representatives involved in providing public safety and security for the Olympics. CRA's support included:

For this project, CRA, Inc. dedicated three separate teams and assigned them full-time to the Olympics. Each team was made up of three individuals consisting of core staff with functional area expertise and subject matter experts.

From August 2000 through January 2002, CRA designed, developed and delivered 46 exercises. These exercises consisted of public safety functional area tabletops, two Olympic theater-wide tabletops, and a theater-wide command post exercise. All exercises involved Federal, State, and local jurisdictions and agencies including Olympic venues, specialized Olympic Operation Centers and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC). All exercises were designed to prepare participants to respond to a wide range of emergencies, such as security threats, infrastructure failures, industrial accidents, and acts of terrorism.

Prior to each exercise initial and final planning conferences were conducted to develop and review exercise objectives and scenario content to ensure that the elements met the purpose and scope as defined by the individuals representing each functional area. After each exercise, a focus group was held with each functional area planning committee to discuss lessons learned.

From January 2002 through May 2002, CRA-USA designed developed and delivered approximately 10 training workshops for public safety personnel in preparation for their duties during the Olympic operational period at Agency Command Centers, Olympic Venue Operations Centers, and Specialized Management Centers. CRA also provided on-site support during the operational period of the Olympics to staff agency and Olympic Command Centers throughout the Olympic theater.