NCS⁴ NEWS eNewsletter | August 31, 2023

The NCS⁴ Announces Upcoming Forums

The NCS⁴ will host the 2024 National Interscholastic Athletics and After-School Activities Safety and Security Forum on January 23-24 at Legacy Stadium in Katy, Texas. The objective of the Forum is to address key safety and security challenges facing interscholastic athletics and after-school activities and to share best practices for continuous improvement.

Confronted with the incredible task of ensuring the safety and security of those involved in high school athletics and after-school programs, high school officials must respond to emerging challenges by integrating and leveraging new resources and information. Discussing current issues and exploring solutions in a forum environment will help high school and athletic administrators, school resource officers, and law enforcement enhance safety and security plans and operations.

Superintendents, principals, athletic administrators, school resource officers, and other school personnel, local and state law enforcement, emergency managers, fire, HAZMAT, facility administrators, and board of education members are invited to register as attendees for the Forum.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE FORUM

Attendees consist of those working and/or supporting high school athletics and after-school programs. Private sector companies may only attend the forums as Solution Partners.

We have very limited space for this event, and registration is based on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline to register is January 2, 2024, or until sold out, whichever comes first.

For additional information or to register, please visit the event website by clicking the button below.

The NCS⁴ will host the 2024 National Professional Sports and Entertainment Safety and Security Forum on February 20-21 at the University of Notre Dame. The objective of the Forum is to address key safety and security challenges facing the professional sports and entertainment industry and to share best practices for continuous improvement.

The threat environment surrounding high-profile sport and entertainment events is continually evolving. Discussing current issues and exploring solutions in a forum environment will help safety and security managers, operations managers, and local and state law enforcement enhance safety and security plans and operations.

Safety and security managers, operation managers, event managers and facility operators, local and state law enforcement, emergency managers, fire, HAZMAT, emergency medical services, guest services, and government officials are invited to register as attendees for the Forum.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE FORUM

Attendees consist of those working and/or supporting professional sports and entertainment venues and events. Private sector companies may only attend the forums as Solution Partners.

We have very limited space for this event, and registration is based on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline to register is January 29, 2024, or until sold out, whichever comes first.

For additional information or to register, please visit the event website by clicking the button below.

The NCS⁴ Team Welcomes New Graduate Assistants

Two new graduate assistants joined the NCS⁴ staff recently for the upcoming school year. They are Arianna Barksdale and Ryan Theriot.

Arianna Barksdale is a Graduate Assistant at the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴). Before joining NCS⁴, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration while actively participating in the collegiate volleyball program at The University of Southern Mississippi. Barksdale is pursuing a dual master's degree in Business Administration and Economic Development at USM.

Ryan Theriot is a Graduate Assistant at the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security. Before joining NCS⁴, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from The University of Southern Mississippi. During his undergraduate studies, he had the opportunity to work in athletics with marketing and also competed in the National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship in Atlanta, GA. Theriot is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration at USM.

Welcome to the team!

This Week’s Must Read: Gameday Security’s Article on Vehicle Mitigation

The Summer 2023 issue of GAMEDAY SECURITY magazine highlights an article on Defending Your Structure. The article focuses on why vehicle ramming incidents should be a critical part of emergency action planning and provides tools and resources – including a Vehicle Ramming Self-Assessment Tool from CISA – to help assess mitigation efforts at stadiums, schools, parades, and other mass gatherings. Click the link below to view the magazine and navigate to page 15 to read the article.

Now Scheduling DHS/FEMA-Funded Training Courses

The NCS⁴ is offering seven safety and security courses in a face-to-face format. Each course is designed to be interactive and allow individuals to become more confident in their ability to identify, prevent, and manage incidents. The key principles that individuals will learn range from risk management, evacuation messaging, threat prioritization, and communication. Each class is presented in a face-to-face format that requires 8 hours each day for two consecutive days unless otherwise noted.

You can learn more about each of these courses by visiting the NCS⁴ website or by clicking on one of the following courses below:

• AWR-167: Sport and Special Event Risk Management
• MGT-404: Sports and Special Events Incident Management
• MGT-412: Sport Venue Evacuation and Protective Actions
• MGT-440: Enhanced Sports and Special Events Incident Management
• MGT-466: Sport and Special Event Enhanced Risk Management and Assessment
• MGT-467: Sport and Special Event Public Information and Emergency Notification
• MGT-475: Crowd Management for Sport and Special Events

These courses represent a cooperative effort between The University of Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (USM/NCS⁴) and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center (TEEX/NERRTC), a member of the Texas A&M University System.

If you are interested in attending or hosting a training course, please email us at NCS4train@usm.edu.

Research Seminar on Lightning Safety Now Available

A Research Seminar on “Lightning Safety for Outdoor Venues” is now available on demand. The seminar is presented by Charlie Woodrum, Warning Coordination Meteorologist. This presentation highlights lightning incident statistics, myths, safe and unsafe structures, and sample public address announcements. In addition, Mr. Woodrum will take venue managers through the process of creating a lightning safety plan with the National Weather Service. The modernized Lightning Safety Toolkit for Outdoor Venues is now available for venue managers to address the risk of a fatal lightning strike in high-capacity outdoor stadiums and venues. Click the link below to watch the seminar.

ICYMI: Dr. Stacey Hall Featured on Axis Podcast, Connect

Dr. Stacey A. Hall, NCS⁴ Executive Director and Professor of Sports Management, joins hosts James Marcella and Scott Dunn of Axis Communications on a podcast titled “Assembling the Right Team: How Sports Management is Tackling Physical & Cyber Security.“

The podcast examines how a coalition of experts can generate new ideas and strengthen performance; how diverse partnerships can help you better understand the threat environment, mitigate risks, and identify capability gaps; and how education, research, and outreach serve as pillars for effective safety and security. The podcast also explores how venues (and customer needs) are changing, threats are evolving, and new tech is emerging.

NCS⁴ eLearning Options

The NCS⁴ eLearning platform, NCS⁴ LEARN, provides opportunities for individuals and organizations to access asynchronous professional development opportunities. Current offerings include the following:

• Venue Staff Training
• Crowd Manager Fundamentals
• Senior Leader Course: Sports and Entertainment Security

Please visit the website or contact us at NCS4Learn@usm.edu if you have any questions or would like to inquire about bulk registration.

Click one of the links above or the button below for details or to register.

Fundamentals of Crowd Safety Course

NCS⁴ and GKStill International have partnered to jointly offer the Fundamentals of Crowd Safety online E-Learning course to address capability gaps in crowd behavior and sciences. Professor Dr. G. Keith Still, Visiting Professor of Crowd Science at the University of Suffolk, developed this certified, accredited course. The course offers an 8-hour online interactive experience designed to teach the essential elements of crowd safety and crowd risk analysis. The course is especially valuable to event organizers, as it ensures that those who complete it are compliant with the NFPA 101 - Life Safety Code — specifically, the areas of section 12 of the code that require a venue to provide a crowd manager trained in crowd management techniques for occupancies exceeding 1000.

15th Annual Conference

details coming soon!