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THE REPRESENTATIVE STANDING HERE FROM VARIOUS AGENCIES AND LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT DEMONSTRATE THE COLLABORATIVE APPROACH WE'VE TAKEN TO ENSURE SAFETY AT NRG PARK EVENTS FOR THE FUTURE.
OUR PURPOSE TODAY IS NOT TO DISCUSS OR LITIGATE THE EVENTS OF THE ASTRO ASTROWORLD FESTIVAL AS PENDING LIT, UH, INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE.
NRG PARK IS A UNIQUE, UNIQUE VEN VENUE FOR SPECIAL EVENTS EVERY YEAR.
UH, HUNDREDS OF EVENTS WITH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE HELD WITHOUT INCIDENT, LARGELY DUE TO THE PROFESSIONAL AND COLLABORATIVE NATURE OF THE PARTNERSHIPS IN PLACE.
CERTAINLY WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE RYAN, WHO'S WITH US AS WELL.
IN FEBRUARY, WE MET IN THIS ROOM TO ANNOUNCE THE FORMATION OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY SPECIAL EVENTS TASK FORCE, UH, THAT WAS PRIMARILY DRIVEN AND LED BY COMMISSIONER ADRIAN GARCIA.
OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THESE LEADERS AND EXPERTS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS HAVE CONVENED, REVIEWED, AND ARE NOW PRESENTING RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS, OPERATIONS, AND PROCEDURES AND PERMITTING REQUIREMENTS.
TO THAT END, IN ADDITION TO THE CURRENT INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, WE ARE ANNOUNCING A NEW INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT THAT FORMALIZES THE ROLE AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONTRIBUTING PARTNERS AT EVENTS ON NREG PARK PROPERTY, WHERE THE EXPECTED CROWD SIZE IS 6,000 OR GREATER.
CERTAINLY WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY, ABBY CAYMAN FOR BEING HERE OF DISTRICT C, INCLUDING IN THE AGREEMENT ARE PROCESSES FOR WRITTEN APPROVAL FOR MEDICAL AND SECURITY PLANS.
AND AS THE EVENT REQUIRES THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A UNIFIED COMMAND CENTER.
REPRESENTATIVES FROM HOUSTON POLICE, HOUSTON FIRE, THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE, THE HARRIS COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE, NRG, AND THE EVENT PLANNERS WILL BE TOGETHER MAKING DECISIONS TO MANAGE THE SAFETY OF AN EVENT.
MANY, IF NOT ALL OF THESE PRACTICES HAVE BEEN THE OPERATIONAL STANDARDS FOR EVENTS HELD ON CITY PROPERTY, AND FOR MANY EVENTS HELD ON COTTON COUNTY PROPERTY AS WELL.
WITH THE UNIQUE EVENT LIKE NRG VENUE, LIKE NRG, WE RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO STANDARDIZE THESE UNIFIED PROCESSES.
I THANK EVERYONE INVOLVED FOR THEIR CORPORATION ON THIS TASK FORCE, AND I APPRECIATE THEIR WILLINGNESS TO CONTINUE WORKING TOGETHER AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND NOW, LET ME YIELD TO, UM, HARRIS COUNTY PERMIT, UH, COMMISSIONER PRECINCT TO ADRIAN GARCIA, WHO WILL BE FOLLOWED BY SUSAN CHRISTIAN, FOLLOWED BY STEVE EDELMAN.
UH, THEN COUNTY ATTORNEY KRISTIN MENIFEE, AND THEN FOLLOWED BY CHIEF, UH, UH, PENA FENNER, AND THEN COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL LAURA CHRISTIANSEN.
I HOPE Y'ALL CAN REMEMBER THE LINEUP.
UM, I'LL BE BACK TO YOU IF YOU KNOW YOU BECOME CONFUSED.
SOUNDS LIKE A LINEUP FOR THE WORLD SERIES, UH, HOUSTON ASTROS.
UH, ADRIAN GARCIA, COUNTY COMMISSIONER PRECINCT TO YOU AND MAYOR.
I WANT TO THANK YOU, UH, AND YOUR ADMINISTRATION FOR YOUR COLLABORATION AND SUPPORT, UH, ON THIS, UH, FOR THE SPECIAL EVENTS TASK FORCE.
AND, UH, I TOO WANT TO RECOGNIZE, UH, THE DEPUTY COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, UH, PERRY TURNER, UH, WHO'S, UH, IN CHARGE OF JUSTICE AND SAFETY FOR THE COUNTY.
UM, OUR FIRE MARSHAL HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED.
RYAN WALSH, UH, CEO OF NRG PARK, UH, MIKE DEMARCO WITH THE HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO.
AND THEN AS, UH, BEEN MENTIONED, OUR, UH, INCREDIBLE, UH, COUNTY ATTORNEY, UH, SLASH ATTORNEY GENERAL, UH, CHRISTIAN, UH, CHRISTIAN MENIFEE.
BUT TO THAT END, UH, LET ME JUST SAY THAT TODAY'S A GREAT, GREAT STEP, UH, IN A COLLABORATIVE, UH, FASHION BETWEEN THE CITY AND, UH, AND THE COUNTY TO LOOK AT THINGS IN OUR, UH, FRONT WINDSHIELD.
UH, NOT TO LOOK BACKWARDS, UH, THERE'S A PROCESS FOR THAT, UH, BUT I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE, UM, UH, THE STEPS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN THE, UH, AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ENHANCEMENT AND STRENGTHENING HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS, HAS COME OUT OF THE WORK THAT THIS, UH, PHENOMENAL BLUE RIBBON, UH, TASK FORCE HAS PUT TOGETHER IS AN AGREEMENT THAT CLEARLY, UH, DELINEATES RESPONSIBILITY, UH, BETWEEN ALL PARTIES TO HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEIR JOBS, UH, ARE, SO THAT NOTHING, UH, WILL FOLLOW THROUGH
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THE CRACKS.WHILE NRG PARK IS A NECESSARY FIRST STEP, UH, I EXPECT THIS AGREEMENT TO SET AN EXAMPLE FOR HOW THE CITY AND THE COUNTY CAN COLLABORATE ON MAJOR EVENTS MOVING FORWARD.
UH, SOME ADDITIONAL AREAS OF, OF, UH, OF ENHANCEMENT WILL BE, UH, WHERE THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, AND THE COUNTY, UH, FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE, ALONG WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SPECIAL EVENTS AND N-R-G-N-R-G PARK, UH, STAFF WILL MEET ON A REGULAR BASIS, ON A QUARTERLY, UH, SCHEDULE, UH, TO DISCUSS, UH, ALL OPERATIONAL ISSUES THAT, UH, MAY BE IDENTIFIED IN EVENTS THAT ARE BEING PLANNED.
UH, IT ALSO COVERS, UH, THE AGREEMENT ALSO COVERS THE FACT THAT, UH, THERE'LL BE CLEAR SIGN OFF ON WHETHER IT'S SECURITY PLANS, WHETHER IT IS, UH, MEDICAL SITE PLANS AND CAPACITY.
UH, BUT AS, UH, MAYOR TURNER HAS IDENTIFIED, THERE WILL ALSO BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DECISION ON UNIFIED, UH, COMMAND, UH, STRUCTURE, UH, FOR THE EVENTS THAT WE MAY BE SEEING.
UH, NOT IN THE AGREEMENT ITSELF, BUT, UH, SOMETHING THAT DOES MAKE, UH, EVERYONE'S LIFE MUCH EASIER IS THE FACT THAT THERE'LL BE AN INTERNAL CALENDAR THAT WILL, UH, ENSURE THAT EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE AND KNOWS THAT EVENTS ARE BEING, UH, PLANNED AND, UH, AND THAT THERE WILL BE A NEED FOR COORDINATION, UH, TO BE TAKING PLACE.
SO, I'M EXCITED, UH, TO SEE THAT AS WELL.
BUT I JUST WANT TO CLOSE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYOR TURNER AND I WANTED TO LOOK FORWARD, UH, WE DIDN'T WANT TO GET CAUGHT UP ON THE, ON THE, UH, MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKING PROCESS.
UH, BUT, UH, IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A PROUD MOMENT, UH, FOR, UH, THE MAYOR AND I TO HAVE JOINED TOGETHER TO BRING, UH, THESE FOLKS WITH UNIQUE, UH, AND EXPERTISE, UNIQUE EXPERTISE AND, UH, EXPERIENCES, UH, SO THAT WE COULD, UH, LOOK HARD AT WHAT STILL NEEDED TO BE DONE.
UH, AND AS A LONGTIME, UH, POLICEMAN, I KNOW THAT THE DECISIONS MADE DURING THE FOG OF AN EMERGENCY ARE SOME OF THE MOST DIFFICULT, UH, THAT ANY OFFICER ON THE STREET OR AN EVENT, UH, EVER HAVE TO MAKE.
SO WE STARTED WITH NRG PARK, BUT BECAUSE IT'S OUR MOST HIGH PROFILE VENUE IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS, UH, WE HAVE EVENTS SUCH AS THE FINAL FOUR, THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS, UH, MORE, UH, WORLD SERIES, I'M SURE, BECAUSE THE MAYOR WILL, UH, PROCLAIM THAT WE WILL HAVE THOSE RIGHT MAYOR.
AND, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE ARE ALL EXCITED ABOUT THE INCOMING WORLD CUP AND SO MANY OTHERS.
SO OBVIOUSLY, THE EYES OF THE COUNTRY, THE STATE, IF NOT THE WORLD, WILL CONSTANTLY BE ON HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY, UH, FOR THESE TYPES OF EVENTS AS THEY COME IN OUR DIRECTION.
AND THEN PART OF THE PROCESS OF THIS TASK FORCE IS TO ENSURE THAT WE REMAIN, UH, IF NOT, UH, RAISE THE BAR AT BEING A PREMIER EVENTS DESTINATION, UH, NOT JUST IN TEXAS, BUT ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD, UH, SINCE WE ARE ALREADY A INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION.
UH, WITH THAT, UH, ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY COMES MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE AS PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE ARE GIVEN THIS KIND OF ATTENTION, UH, TO ENHANCING OUR SECURITY AND ENSURING THAT EVENTS ARE SAFE FOR ALL ATTENDEES, UH, THEN I THINK IT IS LIKELY TO DRAW MORE ATTENTION AND CREATE OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER EVENTS TO COME OUR WAY, MAYOR.
SO I'M VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
UM, BUT, UH, I, I WILL JUST SIMPLY, UH, CLOSE AGAIN THAT I AM, UH, THANKFUL TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE FOR THEIR INCREDIBLE WORK.
AND AGAIN, UH, MAYOR, UH, WE COULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT YOU, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR LEADERSHIP AS WELL.
I'M SUSAN CHRISTIAN, DIRECTOR OF MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SPECIAL EVENTS, AND, UM, CO-CHAIR FOR THIS TASK FORCE.
I WANNA THANK, UH, PERRY TURNER, UH, UH, FOR WORKING SO HARD AND DILIGENTLY ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER TASK, UH, FORCE MEMBERS.
ONE THAT DIDN'T GET RECOGNIZED EARLIER IS ROB MCKINLEY.
ROB MCKINLEY IS OVER LD SYSTEMS, AND HE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE WORKED IN THE TRENCHES FOR SEVERAL GENERATIONS, SO I WAS REALLY, UH, THRILLED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO JOIN THIS TASK FORCE AS WELL.
UM, IT'S ALWAYS A GREAT DAY IN HOUSTON WHEN WE CAN IMPROVE OUR COMMUNICATION AND OUR PROCESSES,
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UH, FOR EVENTS, YOU KNOW, UH, WE CONSIDER EVENTS A CORE SERVICE, UH, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.AND I AM SO GRATEFUL TO THE MAYOR AND HIS PREDECESSORS FOR RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE THAT EVENTS HAVE, UH, BOTH ON A CITYWIDE LEVEL AND IN A VERY, UH, AND ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD GRASSROOTS LEVEL.
IT BONDS US TOGETHER AS A, AS A CITY.
SO THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO MAKE OUR SERVICE A CORE SERVICE IN HOUSTON FOR NOT ONLY HOUSTONIANS, BUT FOR ALL OF OUR GUESTS, UH, THAT COME TO HOUSTON.
YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO TALK A LOT ABOUT THE PROCESS BECAUSE, UM, WE HAD A FACILITATOR WHO ACTUALLY IS, UM, UH, CONSULTS WITH CITIES, UH, ALL OVER THE NATION AND INDEED ALL OVER THE WORLD, ESPECIALLY AS IT, IT IT COMES TO, UH, WHEN IT RELATES TO MAKING EVENTS SAFER.
BUT I WILL SAY IT WAS QUITE AN ARDUOUS TASK, I THINK, FOR STEVE, UH, TO, UM, PULL TOGETHER THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, BECAUSE AS OFTEN AS WE HAVE, UH, WORKED ON AND PLANNED INCREDIBLE, SOME OF THE LARGEST EVENTS, UH, RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON, INCREDIBLE EVENTS SUCCESSFULLY, WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER.
BUT STEVE'S TASK WAS TO TAKE THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, WHICH DON'T REALLY, UH, HAVE PROGRAMS THAT COMMUNICATE NOW.
WE COMMUNICATE PRETTY WELL, BUT WE CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE ON THAT.
SO ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THIS TASK FORCE WAS INDEED, UH, COMMUNICATION.
UH, COMMISSIONER GARCIA MENTIONED, UH, THE IT ASPECTS AND INWARDLY FACING CALENDAR EVENTS, WHICH WE DID NOT HAVE.
SO I WANT TO THANK BOTH THE COUNTY IT DEPARTMENT AND LISA KENT AND HER TEAM OVER AT THE CITY'S IT DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE IT TOOK MONTHS TO GET THIS ALL COMMUNICATING, AND IT'S NOT FINISHED YET, BUT THEY HAVE A, UH, THEY'RE WELL ON THEIR WAY.
IN FACT, IT'S IN THE TESTING PHASE RIGHT NOW OF THIS INWARDLY FACING, UH, COM, UH, UH, CALENDAR.
SO, UH, THANKS TO LORI CHRISTENSEN FOR BRINGING THAT UP AND FOR THE TASK FORCE, UH, TO REALLY GRASP AHOLD OF THAT.
STEVE WILL PROBABLY GIVE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT, BUT, UH, FOLLOWING THE LINE OF COMMUNICATION, WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER.
WE'VE WORKED WITH, I'VE WORKED WITH EVERYONE ON THIS, UH, ON THIS, UH, PLATFORM THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, UH, AND FROM SUPER BOWLS TO, UH, TO FINAL FOURS TO NOW WE'RE WORKING ON THE WORLD CUP.
WHAT WE DISCOVERED MAYOR AND COMMISSIONER, IS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE THOSE BIG ANNUAL EVENTS AND ON A DAILY BASIS, CREATE PROCESS THAT WE CAN CAPTURE THE SUCCESS, UH, THAT THE SUCCESSES THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE WHEN WE GET TOGETHER AND BETTER COMMUNICATE WHAT'S COMING AT US.
I WANNA, I WANNA THANK RYAN, RYAN WALSH, UH, WONDERFUL, INCREDIBLE LEADER OVER AT, UH, IN OUR, IN RG PARK.
HIS WILLINGNESS TO NOT ONLY BE ON THIS, UH, TASK FORCE MAYOR, BUT TO REALLY GRASP THE REINS AND SEE HOW WE CAN COME UP WITH A CALENDAR TO SEE HOW WE CAN BETTER, UH, COMMUNICATE WHAT'S COMING, WHAT HE DOES ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE TOURING SHOWS THE ONE-OFFS, UH, AND THEN OF COURSE, ALL OF OUR HUGE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS THAT COME THROUGH THERE.
BUT LISTEN, UM, I'M NOT GOING TO GET THAT BOGGED DOWN AND PROCESS.
WHAT I AM GOING TO DO IS INTRODUCE YOU TO, UH, STEVE ALEMAN, OR INTRODUCE HIM TO YOU.
HE IS, UM, HE ACTUALLY WAS RECOMMENDED BY ROB MCKINLEY, AND I, I REALLY APPRECIATE HIM ACCEPTING YOUR INVITATION, MAYOR, TO SERVE ON THIS TASK FORCE.
HE IS THE HEAD OF EDELMAN LAW GROUP AND IS VICE PRESIDENT OF THE EVENT SAFETY ALLIANCE.
UH, THE EVENT SAFETY ALLIANCE IS AN INSTRUMENTAL OR AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON SAFETY AND SECURITY PRACTICES FOR LIVE EVENTS.
SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET ME INTRODUCE STEVE.
MAYOR, COMMISSIONER, EVERYBODY ELSE THANKS TO ALL OF YOU.
UM, IT IS MY JOB TODAY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE GOOD NOTES.
SO I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE FOUR NUMBERED ITEMS THAT WE HAVE WORKED ON DURING THIS TASK GROUP, SO THAT YOU HAVE THE CONTEXT AND ALSO THE PROPER NOUN STRAIGHT.
SO I FACILITATED A VERY DIVERSE GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS THROUGHOUT MONTHS OF HARD WORK, WHICH WILL BE ONGOING.
AND FOR TODAY, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU BULLET POINTED SUMMARIES.
THE WORK OF THIS TASK FORCE HAS BEEN ENTIRELY FORWARD-LOOKING.
THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE IN A DIFFERENT PROCESS WHO ARE WORKING
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REGARDING THE, THE VICTIMS OF THE ASTROWORLD FESTIVAL.THAT HAS NOT BEEN OUR FOCUS AT ALL.
THE REASON FOR THAT IS VERY CLEAR.
THERE WILL BE MANY, MANY EVENTS WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY LONG BEFORE THE LITIGATION REACHES ANY KIND OF CONCLUSIONS AT ALL.
AND EVEN THEN, LAWYERS WILL FIND A WAY TO ARGUE ABOUT THE CONCLUSIONS THAT THEY PERCEIVE.
SO WE HAVE STAYED AWAY FROM THAT VERY EXPRESSLY.
RATHER, OUR FOCUS HAS BEEN ENTIRELY FORWARD LOOKING SO THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ATTEND EVENTS WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY CAN ATTEND EVENTS THAT ARE AS SAFE AS REASONABLY POSSIBLE FOR THEM.
THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUR ORIENTATION.
LOOKING FORWARD, THERE IS ANOTHER PROCESS FOR PEOPLE LOOKING BACK WITH THAT, LET'S GO THROUGH THE FOUR ITEMS THAT THIS TASK FORCE HAS WORKED ON.
THE FIRST ONE, THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, THERE WAS AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BACK IN 2018, AND IT WAS AMENDED LATER IN 2018.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS CRAFT A NEW ONE, WHICH EXPANDS UPON SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WERE DISCUSSED IN THE ORIGINAL 2018 INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT AS AMENDED.
LET ME JUST GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS BECAUSE IT IS STILL SUBJECT TO TINKERING BY PEOPLE SMARTER THAN ME.
SO, HIGHLIGHTS, THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE CREATED THROUGH THE TASK GROUP IS FOR EVENTS COMPRISED OF MORE THAN 6,000 PEOPLE.
THAT IS A NUMBER THAT WE ARRIVED AT, AS A MATTER OF CONSIDERATION THROUGH FIRE MARSHALS AND, AND EVENT SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS.
SO, FOR EVENTS LARGER THAN 6,000 PEOPLE, THEY MUST HAVE, AMONG OTHER THINGS AND EVENT SECURITY PLAN, AND AN EVENT MEDICAL PLAN, WHICH HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE RELEVANT PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS.
SUSAN CHRISTIAN TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION.
IF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PEOPLE, THE HEALTH AND SAFETY PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING WITHIN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO ALLOCATE RESOURCES, PLAN EFFICIENTLY, STAFF UP EVENTS IN A WAY WHICH IS GOOD FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC HEALTH.
SO, EVENT SECURITY PLAN AND EVENT MEDICAL PLAN FOR EVENTS COMPRISED OF MORE THAN 6,000 PEOPLE, BOTH OF WHICH HAVE TO BE REVIEWED BY THE RELEVANT PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE NEW INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT REQUIRES THAT THERE BE A UNIFIED COMMAND CENTER.
UNIFIED COMMAND IS A TERM OF ART.
IT COMES FROM NIMS ICS, THAT IS THE NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM, SORRY, IT COMES FROM FEMA.
UM, AND NIMS ICS BASICALLY SAYS THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A UNIFIED COMMAND CENTER.
THE POINT OF UNIFIED COMMAND IS THAT ALL OF THE RELEVANT SAFETY RELATED STAKEHOLDERS BE EITHER PHYSICALLY LOCATED IN ONE PLACE OR BE ON RADIO WHERE THEY CAN COMMUNICATE IMMEDIATELY WITH EACH OTHER IN THE EVENT OF ANY SORT OF SITUATION THAT REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ACTION.
SO, WHETHER IT'S AN EMERGENCY OR SOMETHING THAT JUST REQUIRES ACTION RIGHT AWAY THIS WAY, THROUGH A UNIFIED COMMAND SYSTEM, WHICH IS PART OF THE ILA REQUIREMENTS THAT WE'VE DRAFTED, THERE WILL BE THAT SORT OF ESSENTIALLY INSTANTANEOUS MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.
AND NOW I'M GONNA CONTEXTUALIZE AGAIN, IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS DRAFT INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE CREATED THROUGH THE TASK FORCE, AT LEAST SPECIFICALLY ACCORDING TO ITS TERMS, RELATES ONLY TO EVENTS HELD AT ENERGY PARK.
THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT ALSO.
IT IS NOT THAT WE ARE SOLELY FOCUSED ON EVENTS HELD AT ENERGY PARK.
WERE NOT, IT'S THAT THERE IS SO MUCH INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE THERE ALREADY, MOST OF WHICH WORKS SO WELL, THAT WE CAN COUNT ON IT AND BASICALLY ELIMINATE MOVING PARTS THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO FOCUS ON RIGHT NOW.
BECAUSE ENERGY PARK IS ESSENTIALLY GONNA BE A BETA TEST.
IT'S GONNA BE A BETA TEST FOR THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE CONSIDERED ALL THE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD IN A WAY THAT THEY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED, AND WHERE IT'S NECESSARY TO TWEAK THEM IN ORDER TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS AND COOPERATION.
SO ESSENTIALLY, ENERGY PARK IS THE GUINEA PIG, AND WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO THEIR LEADERSHIP FOR ALLOWING THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT TO START WITH THEM, BECAUSE FRANKLY, IT'LL MAKE THE TASK OF FASHIONING SUBSEQUENT AGREEMENTS A WHOLE LOT EASIER.
SO THAT'S THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, THAT IS 0.1 OF FOUR.
TWO, YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT A SHARED CALENDAR OF EVENTS.
SORRY, THIS IS THE WAY I TALK WITH MY LAW STUDENTS, SO YOU GET GOOD NOTES WITH ME.
UM, A SHARED CALENDAR OF EVENTS IS ANOTHER MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.
THIS IS GONNA BE AN INTERNAL CALENDAR, SO INWARD FACING FOR CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS SO THAT THEY SIMPLY KNOW WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE PIKE AGAINST.
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RESOURCES, MAKE PLANS, SAVE THE TAXPAYERS MONEY, BECAUSE THEY DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO HIRE EVERYONE FOR EXTRA TIME HOURS.IT'S A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION.
SO THERE WILL BE A FREQUENTLY UPDATED INTERNAL CALENDAR THAT ANY OF THESE GOOD FOLKS WHO WORK IN ANY KIND OF GOVERNMENT AGENCY CAN LOG INTO ON A REGULAR BASIS AND SAY, AH, THERE'S AN EVENT COMING UP.
LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE READY.
SO THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THE SHARED CALENDAR OF PERMITTED EVENTS.
ITEM NUMBER THREE IS A STREAMLINED EVENT PERMITTING PROCESS.
UM, SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE CITY AND IN THE COUNTY, UM, ARE PERMITTED IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, SO THIS COMMENT RELATES MOSTLY TO THE CITY BECAUSE THAT'S FRANKLY WHAT WE HAVE SPENT MORE TIME ON.
UM, THE CITY'S PROCESS OF PERMITTING SPECIAL EVENTS IS WELL CHALLENGING.
UM, IT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED, AND THE CITY IS WELL AWARE OF THAT.
I'M NOT SPEAKING BEHIND THEIR BACK.
SO WHAT WE'VE WORKED ON IS WAYS TO STREAMLINE THE EVENT PERMITTING PROCESS SO THAT IT'S EASIER FOR APPLICANTS TO APPLY, TO FILL OUT THE FORMS, EASIER FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THEM.
AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SAME COIN, EASIER FOR PEOPLE WITHIN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SPECIAL EVENTS TO APPROVE AN EVENT PERMIT APPLICATION, OR REJECT IT AND SAY WHY, OR SIMPLY CLARIFY ITS REQUIREMENTS SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GET THEIR APPLICATION APPROVED.
SO THEY CAN PUT ON THE EVENTS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO, BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNOW THAT WITHIN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, THERE IS A VAST NUMBER OF EVENTS, WHICH IS FABULOUS, AND THERE WILL DOUBTLESS BE MORE OF THEM.
SO THERE MAY AS WELL BE SOME BETTER MEANS OF CONTROL, OVERSIGHT AND FEEDBACK FOR THE APPLICANTS SO THAT EVERYBODY IS ON THE SAME PAGE WITH REGARD TO SAFETY.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS AN EVENT SAFETY PLANNING CHECKLIST.
THIS IS SOMETHING WHICH WE ARE JUST STARTING TO DEVELOP.
FORTUNATELY, WE DON'T HAVE TO REINVENT THIS WHEEL.
HARRIS COUNTY ALREADY HAS ON THEIR FIRE MARSHALS WEBSITE A SAFETY CHECKLIST.
AND WE ARE ALSO STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE GOVERNOR'S TASK FORCE.
I WAS A MEMBER OF THAT, AND IT HAD A NUMBER OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, MYSELF, IM MODESTLY INCLUDED.
AND WE MADE A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND ATTACH TO A WHOLE BUNCH OF RESOURCES.
SO THE IDEA IS THAT THE EVENT SAFETY PLANNING CHECKLIST WILL EVENTUALLY BE HYPERLINKED TO THE APPLICATION PROCESS, SO THAT AS APPLICANTS ARE FILLING IN BOXES, WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY SAY, OH, I DON'T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING, THEY CAN CLICK ON A LINK, IT SENDS THEM TO A RESOURCE, WHICH HELPS THEM FIGURE OUT HOW DOES THIS PARTICULAR SAFETY RULE GUIDELINE OR PROVISION APPLY TO THEIR EVENT? THEN THEY CAN RESPOND TO IT.
THEIR APPLICATION WILL BE MORE LIKELY TO BE APPROVED, AND MORE TO THE POINT, THEIR EVENT WILL BE MORE LIKELY TO GO SAFELY.
SO THERE ARE THE FOUR ITEMS THAT OUR TASK GROUP HAS BEEN WORKING ON, THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, THE SHARED CALENDAR OF PERMITTED EVENTS, THE STREAMLINED EVENT PERMITTING PROCESS, AND FINALLY, THE EVENT SAFETY PLANNING CHECKLIST.
SO, SORRY, THAT WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION, BUT AGAIN, MY JOB TO GIVE YOU GOOD NOTES, AND I HOPE THAT I HAVE DONE THAT.
UM, CHIEF PENA, I THINK IT'S CHRISTIAN.
I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO GIVE SOME, SOME POINTS NOW.
UM, CHRISTIAN MENIFEE, HARRIS COUNTY ATTORNEY.
UH, I JUST WANNA START BY SAYING THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR, TO COMMISSIONER GARCIA.
UH, THESE ARE TWO INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE REALLY BEEN, UH, VIGOROUS IN THEIR LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE FROM THE MOMENT THAT THE INCIDENT FIRST HAPPENED, UH, TO CREATE A FORT LOOKING PROCESS AND GET US TO A BETTER PLACE TO PREVENT THESE TYPES OF INCIDENTS IN THE FUTURE.
AND OF COURSE, TO OUR FIRE MARSHAL, UM, LORD CHRISTIANSEN, UH, IN HARRIS COUNTY, WHO IS AN INDIVIDUAL THAT MY OFFICE REMAINED IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH, UM, WHO IN, WHO HAS REALLY POURED OUR HEART AND SOUL INTO THIS WORK.
AND, AND OF COURSE, PERRY TURNER IN THE OFFICE OF, OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATION.
UH, LOOK, ANYTIME YOU HAVE TWO GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES COMING TOGETHER, UH, TO MAKE PROCESSES MORE EFFICIENT BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS, THE LAWYERS ARE ALWAYS VERY HAPPY.
SO THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UH, AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS, UH, SINCE THE START.
OUR ROLE IN THIS HAS LARGELY BEEN HELPING TO FACILITATE CONVERSATIONS AND OF COURSE, ADVISING THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO, UH, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION, UH, ON A REGULAR BASIS, UH, SO THAT THE CITY AND THE COUNTY ARE ON THE RIGHT PAGE.
LOOK, FOLKS, WE'RE A VERY POPULOUS CITY.
SAY THIS ALL THE TIME, IF, IF THE COUNTY WHERE STATE WOULD BE THE 25TH MOST
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POPULOUS STATE, UH, IN THE COUNTRY.AND SO THIS IS GOING TO BE, UH, SOMETHING THAT FOLKS ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT, UH, IN THE FUTURE.
AND OBVIOUSLY EARLY NEXT YEAR, WE HAVE SOME MAJOR EVENTS THAT FOLKS WILL BE LOOKING TO.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS ON THIS STAGE, UM, AND ENSURING THAT OUR PROCESSES ARE OPEN, THAT OUR PROCESSES ARE EFFICIENT, AND THAT WE'RE HAVING AS MUCH COMMUNICATION AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THAT EVENTS CAN BE HELD SAFELY IN HARRIS COUNTY IN HOUSTON.
AND, UH, WELL, FIRST LET ME, LET ME, UH, THANK THE MAYOR DIRECTLY AND COMMISSIONER GARCIA FOR YOUR ADVOCACY AND YOUR DIRECTION ON, ON THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE.
AND I ALSO WANNA EXPRESS MY, MY GRATITUDE TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SITTING, STANDING BEHIND HERE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE, UH, REALLY STEPPED UP IN AN INCREDIBLE WAY TO, TO ENSURE THAT WE PROVIDE SAFE EVENTS HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WE KNOW THAT THE PROPER PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO SAFETY AND SUCCESS AT ANY EVENT.
AND EVEN THE BEST LAID PLAN CAN BE THWARTED IN AN EMERGENCY IF THE DECISION MAKERS, ESPECIALLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY, ARE NOT COMPLETELY AWARE OF THE PLAN.
WHAT THIS ILA DOES THIS, UH, AGREEMENT DOES, IS IT ADDRESSES THAT THE AGREEMENT REALLY IS DESIGNED TO MAKE IT EASIER AND REQUIRE THE APPROPRIATE AGENCIES TO COLLABORATE ON THE, ON THE PLANNING, ON THE SAFETY AND THE MANAGEMENT TO CREATE SAFE EVENTS.
AND THE OVERARCHING GOAL FOR THE AGREEMENT IS TO HELP THE PARTIES, UH, ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS, AND WHICH WILL HELP EVERYBODY COME UP WITH THE RIGHT ANSWERS FOR, FOR SAFE EVENTS.
SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT, UH, THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THIS, IN THIS ILA HAVE BEEN OUTLINED BY, BY STEVE, AND I WANNA THANK STEVE FOR, FOR HIS DIRECTION AS WELL.
AND RYAN WALSH FROM NRG, WHO'S BEEN, UH, VERY SUPPORTIVE IN IN OUR EFFORTS.
UH, AS FAR AS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THIS ILA.
BUT THE MORE IMPORTANT ONE IS NOT ONLY THE COLLABORATION AND THE PLANNING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN, BUT ALSO IN THE REQUIREMENT THAT THERE BE A PRESENCE AT THE UNIFIED COMMAND POST AT EVERY MAJOR INCIDENT.
AND WE'VE, WE'VE, UH, SET THE PARAMETERS AT 6,000 OR MORE IN THE ATTENDANCE.
WE'VE INCORPORATED REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS FROM THE NFPA 1 0 1, THE LIFE SAFETY CODE, AND C 1.9 AS WELL, THE CROWD MANAGEMENT AND SOME OTHER NFPA STANDARDS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE TO THIS, TO THIS PROJECT.
UM, IN ALL, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE RESPONSIBLE AND DECISION MAKING AUTHORITY IS PRESENT AT THE COMMAND POST, UM, TO, IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS, WE CAN DELAY, WE CAN ALTER, WE CAN CANCEL EVEN AT THE POINT WHERE THE EVENT IS, IS ONGOING, AND MAKE THAT DECISION IN REAL TIME FROM THE COMMAND POST.
SO THAT IS THE ONE BIG ITEM THAT, UH, FOR ME, UH, AS, AS THE FIRE CHIEF, IS THAT IT'S INCLUDED IN IT'S REQUIRED IN THIS ILA.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT A SAFETY OR THE MEDICAL PLAN IS, IS, UH, PRESENTED APPROPRIATELY THAT WE ESTABLISH A, AN OCCUPANCY FOR, FOR THIS VENUE, AND THAT WE REQUIRE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED IN THE FIRE CODE.
WE CHECK OFF, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CHECKS OFF THE ITEMS THAT ARE REQUIRED IN THE FIRE CODE IN THE HOUSTON FIRE CODE.
SO WE'RE VERY HAPPY AND EXCITED ABOUT, UH, ABOUT THIS.
ILA, WE HOPE IT PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK TO MOVE FORWARD FOR OTHER VENUES WITHIN THE CITY, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THE, THE WORK THAT THIS GROUP HAS DONE HAS REALLY MOVED THE BALL FORWARD A LOT.
SO, WITH THAT, OH, CHIEF FERNER, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, SAM, VERY MUCH, UH, MAYOR AND COMMISSIONER, AND EVERYBODY WHO'S STANDING, UH, BEHIND ME.
UH, A LOT HAS BEEN SAID AND, UM, I, I DON'T WANT TO ADD TO WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN SAID, BUT DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO TAKE AWAY FROM ANYTHING.
THE, UH, COMMAND, UM, UNIFIED COMMAND IS SO IMPORTANT.
UM, BUT THANK GOODNESS THAT WE ALL GOT TOGETHER MOVING FORWARD.
UH, WE'RE A BETTER CITY, A BETTER COUNTY, UH, MOVING FORWARD.
BUT ONE THING I JUST WANT TO CHECK ON RIGHT QUICK, AND, UH, WE, WE'LL, WE'LL MOVE ON FAR AS ME.
UH, THE EVENT SECURITY PLAN, UH, GIVES THE CHIEF OF POLICE, UH, AUTHORITY, UH, TO REVIEW, APPROVE, OR REJECT, UM, ANY SECURITY PLAN THAT'S IMPORTANT.
UM, AND, AND IT'S IN COORDINATION WITH EVERYBODY YOU SEE BEHIND US.
UH, I WANT TO THANK, UH, RYAN, UH, FOR WORKING WITH US AND, AND EVERYBODY ELSE THAT'S HERE.
UM, WE'RE A BETTER CITY, A BETTER COUNTY, UH, TO WHOLE EVENTS, UH, MOVING FORWARD.
AND, UH, JUST WANNA SAY, UH, THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYBODY.
GOOD MORNING, LAURIE CHRISTENSEN, HARRIS COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL.
I I WANNA THANK, UH, THE COMMISSIONER, MAYOR, AND EVERYBODY BEHIND ME.
UH, I KNOW A LOT'S BEEN SAID ABOUT THAT, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALWAYS SAY IS COMMUNICATION IS KEY TO ANY, UM, EMERGENCY EVENT AND ANY DAILY EVENT.
AND WHAT YOU SEE BEHIND US AS A GROUP THAT WE'VE, WE TALK OFTEN, WE WORK OFTEN TOGETHER DURING HURRICANES AND DIFFERENT EVENTS.
[00:30:01]
WHAT THIS ILA DOES IS IT ALLOWS US TO PLAN AHEAD, MEET AHEAD.SO WHEN SOMETHING DOES OR DOES NOT HAPPEN, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IT IN AHEAD OF THE GAME AND KNOWING WHO THE PLAYERS ARE.
AND I THINK IT'S ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS.
UH, IN HARRIS COUNTY, THERE'S OVER 56 FIRE AND EMS DEPARTMENTS.
THERE'S OVER A HUNDRED LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.
AND SO I'M VERY FORTUNATE WORKING FOR A COMMISSIONER'S COURT THAT WE BELIEVE IN ONE MISSION, ONE GOAL, A SAFER HARRIS COUNTY.
SO IT DOESN'T MATTER IF WE'RE IN THE CITY, IF WE'RE IN THE COUNTY, OUR GOAL HERE IS TO ENSURE OUR RESIDENTS WHO, YOU KNOW, WORK, PLAY, AND LIVE HERE, UH, WE'RE ALL WORKING ON THE SAME PAGE.
AND SO WE'RE VERY, VERY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO FURTHER, FURTHER EVENTS THAT WE INCREASE THIS ON.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYBODY FOR THE PARTNERSHIP, AND, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
RYAN WALSH, CEO OF ENERGY PARK.
JUST, UH, INCREDIBLY THANKFUL THAT, UH, THE MAYOR AND THE COMMISSIONER HAD THE FORESIGHT TO START THIS.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MORE THAN 500 EVENTS, MORE THAN 6 MILLION PEOPLE AT NRG PARK EVERY YEAR.
SO, I MEAN, WHAT'S A DAILY OCCURRENCE TO US IS, IS STILL REQUIRING SAFETY, WHETHER IT'S 10 PEOPLE OR A WORLD CUP, LIKE WE'RE GONNA HAVE IN 2026.
SO, I APPRECIATE THEIR EFFORTS, AND CERTAINLY THE TEAM BEHIND ME, THE TASK FORCE CHIEF FEENER, PENA, CHIEF CHRISTIANSEN, SUSAN CHRISTIAN, EVERYBODY THAT WAS, THAT WAS THERE, THAT THERE, THERE'S, THERE'S NO NEGATIVE THAT COMES AWAY FROM GETTING MORE PEOPLE AT THE TABLE TO TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THEIR EFFORTS AND NRG PARK CERTAINLY GONNA BE A SAFER PLACE BECAUSE OF IT.
AND BEFORE WE TAKE, UH, QUESTIONS, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS WEDNESDAY, UH, THIS WEDNESDAY, THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL WILL VOTE ON APPROVING CHANGES TO CHAPTER 25.
UH, THIS ITEM CAME BEFORE COMMITTEE ON OCTOBER 13, AND IT RELATES TO PUBLIC OUTDOOR MUSIC EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, WHICH IS A COMPLETELY SEPARATE ITEM THAN THE WORK BEING DONE AT NRG, WHICH IS A PUBLIC VENUE, BUT IT COMPLIMENTS WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
THE ADDITIONS TO CHAPTER 25 ON AN EFFORT TO REDUCE RISK BY BEING INFORMED OF SUCH EVENTS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY THAT COULD REQUIRE UNEXPECTED CITY RESOURCES, THEREBY SAVING MONEY AND EMERGENCY STAFF REALLOCATION FROM ASSIGNED NEIGHBORHOODS AND OTHER DUTIES.
IN SHORT PLAN AND COMMUNICATED EVENTS ARE THE STANDARDS WE WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS ORDINANCE, IF APPROVED BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL.
AND THE COUNCIL MEMBER CAME AND IS STANDING HERE, THESE CHANGES WILL REQUIRE A PERMIT FOR ANY OUTDOOR MUSIC EVENT WITH AN ATTENDANCE OF MORE THAN 500 PEOPLE WHEN HELD ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.
THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE CHURCHES OR EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES, VENUES WHERE THE PERMITTING PROCESS IS PART OF THEIR REGULAR COURSE OF BUSINESS, OR VENUES THAT HAVE AN ESTABLISHED CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY.
AS LONG AS THE VENUE IS WORKING WITHIN THE ESTABLISHED FOOTPRINT, THE CITY WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO RECOUP ITS EXPENSES FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSES IF THE EVENTS ARE UNPERMITTED OR IF PERMITTED EVENTS BEGIN OPERATING OUTSIDE OF THEIR PERMIT.
IN CLOSING, THE ADDITIONS TO CHAPTER 25 AND THE NEW INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH HARRIS COUNTY WILL ENHANCE COMMUNICATION, STANDARDIZE EVEN PROCESSES, AND ENHANCE SAFETY FOR EVENTS THROUGHOUT OUR CITY.
HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT, AND YOU'VE HEARD SO MUCH MORE, UH, WE'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANY OF YOU MAY HAVE SURE.
SO, SO WHAT, WHAT COMES NEXT AFTER ALL OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS? ARE Y'ALL STILL GOING BACK MEETING, COMING UP WITH MORE RECOMMENDATIONS OR SORT OF WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE TASK FORCE? WELL, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ILA, UM, UH, IT LAYS OUT, IT DEFINES ROLES, RIGHT? AND SO WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF THOSE, UH, UH, OF DEFINING THE PROCESSES.
WE'RE STILL, WE'LL BE WORKING WITH RYAN OVER THE NEXT, UH, MONTH, COUPLE OF MONTHS TO ESTABLISH REGULARLY ONGOING, UH, MEETINGS.
THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY SO THAT WE CAN LOOK AHEAD, UH, UH, AT WHAT'S COMING INTO NRG.
AND THEN, UH, LIKEWISE, IT'S, IT'S PUTTING TO TASK WHAT STEVE MENTIONED, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING TO DEFINE, UH, WHAT, WHAT THOSE PROCESSES ARE, BUT THAT WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON THE SAME PAGE WHEN IT COMES TO REQUISITES.
ONE OF THE REALLY COOL THINGS, UH, PUJA, IS THAT, UM, UH, WE HAVE, WE TOOK THE, UH, CITY OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UM, UH, SIGN OFF OR APPROVAL FOR HPD, UH, WITH EVERY EVENT.
AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT, GEEZ, I GUESS ABOUT 15 YEARS.
AND, UH, THE CONFIDENCE THAT THAT GIVE, GIVE, MOVES AN EVENT FORWARD IS JUST IMMEASURABLE.
[00:35:01]
BEEN ASKED SO MANY TIMES ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE PARADES THAT WE'VE HAD JUST, UH, JUST RECENTLY OR ANY OF OUR OTHER LARGE EVENTS.YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE GREAT SUCCESSES, BUT WE ALL NEED TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE.
AND THE, AND TO GIVE BOTH THE POLICE CHIEF AND THE FIRE CHIEF THE ABILITY, WELL IN ADVANCE OF LOOKING AT WHAT'S COMING DOWN.
NOT ONLY IS IT A BETTER SECURE PLAN OR A PLAN FOR SECURITY, UH, AND, AND SAFETY, BUT IT'S ALSO, UH, REALLY ADDRESSES SHOULD THERE BE AT AN EMERGENCY, RIGHT? SHOULD THERE BE ONE, THEY THOROUGHLY KNOW WHAT THOSE EVENTS, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT THE, UH, WHAT THE OBJECTIVES OF THEIR, THOSE EVENTS ARE, HOW THEY'RE LAID OUT, ET CETERA.
WE WILL CON WHEN WE, UH, WILL WE CONTINUE TO MEET.
UH, MAYBE NOT, SO, NOT, UH, SO MUCH AS A TASK FORCE, UH, BUT SEEING AS HOW WE ALL, UH, ARE WORKING, UH, ON THE SAME EVENTS, UH, WE WILL BE FORCED INTO THAT.
AND THAT, THAT'S A GREAT THING THAT THE ILA DOES.
IT DEMANDS MEETINGS, SO THAT'S GREAT.
HAD Y'ALL HEARD ANY CONCERNS FROM, LIKE, PERFORMERS AND DIFFERENT ARTISTS AND, YOU KNOW, GROUPS THAT WOULD BE COMING OUT? IS THIS IN RESPONSE TO ANY OF THAT, OR IS THAT SOMETHING, IS IT MORE PREEMPTIVE? IT'S, IT'S REALLY MORE PREEMPTIVE.
UH, YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, MY HAT'S OFF TO, UH, TO THE MAYOR, UH, WHO DEMANDS, UH, NOT ONLY GREAT EVENTS, BUT ALSO EVENT SAFETY.
I'VE WORKED WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER GARCIA EVER SINCE HE WAS WORKING A BEAT FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND HE, HE, HIS OFF DUTY JOBS WERE, UH, PROVIDING, UH, SAFETY FOR EVENTS.
LOOK, UM, I, IT IS A CORE SERVICE AND IT'S THEIR LEADERSHIP THAT BROUGHT US ALL TO THIS TABLE, AND I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.
UH, PUJA, I ALSO WANNA TOUCH ON THE FACT THAT, LOOK, WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY, THIS IS A COMMITMENT.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE, UH, WORLD CUP.
UH, SO I THINK THAT THIS, THIS TASK FORCE STILL HAS A LOT OF WORK IN FRONT OF IT, UH, JUST TO ENSURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT THEY HAVE THOUGHT THROUGH GETS LOOKED AT, TESTED, UH, AND, UM, AND, AND WE LEARN FROM IT.
SO WE'RE NOT GONNA COMPROMISE ON SAFETY, AND WITH THE NEXT EVENT, I'M SURE SOMETHING'S GONNA BE LEARNED.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE A, A LIVING PROCESS, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO THE SAFETY OF OUR, OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYTHING GOES WELL.
SO WHAT IS, UH, IN FRONT OF EVERYONE IS JUST TO CONTINUE TO LEARN AND GROW AND ENSURE THAT SAFETY, UH, REMAINS OUR HALLMARK HERE IN HOUSTON.
AND WHAT I WOULD ADD IS THAT, UM, IT, IT, UH, IT COMPLETES THE ALIGNMENT.
NRG IS A COUNTY FACILITY, BUT IT'S LOCATED IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND SO WHEN YOU'RE PLANNING EVENTS, PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT, AND THAT NEEDS TO BE CLEARLY DELINEATED AND UNDERSTOOD.
SO WE ARE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY IN A VERY COLLABORATIVE WAY.
AND ANY EVENT, 6,000 OR MORE, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THIS CASE, NRG, EVERYBODY NOW KNOWS THEIR, THEIR ROLES, WHICH IS IMPORTANT.
SO IT'S A COUNTY FACILITY, BUT IT'S IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO WHEN IT COMES TO A COMMAND, UH, WHAT YOU CALL IT, UNIFIED COMMAND.
THAT UNIFIED COMMAND, WE KNOW WHO NEED, WHO, WHO'S IN THERE, WHO SHOULD BE IN THERE.
IF IT COMES TO A SITUATION, WHEN THE EVENT NEEDS TO BE STOPPED, WHO'S RESPONSIBLE.
OR WHEN YOU'RE SETTING UP, NEEDING HELP, WHAT YOU CALL THAT YOUR MEDICAL PLAN.
UH, THEN WE KNOW WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.
AND, BUT IT'S WORKING IN VERY COLLABORATIVE WAY WITH NRG, WITH THE COUNTY, WITH OUR INCREDIBLE PARTNERS.
BUT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT HE OR SHE IS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT.
I SAW YOU FIRST, I JUST WANNA BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT SOME OF THE SPECIFICS THAT WERE GONE OVER HERE WITH AN INCIDENT COMMAND, WITH A MEDICAL PLAN, WITH THE POLICE CHIEF, HAVING THE ABILITY TO REJECT A SECURITY PLAN, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WERE ABSENT FROM THE PREVIOUS INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT.
THEY'RE BOTH RACING TO THE MIC
ABSENT, UH, THINGS WERE THERE.
OKAY? BUT THE MAYOR, I DON'T WANNA STEP SIDE OF THAT.
YOU GOT THE COUNTY, YOU GOT THE CITY.
NO LINES OF AUTHORITY OR COMMUNICATION.
THAT'S WHAT WE PUT IN PLACE, UH, GOING FORWARD.
SO THAT'S, IF YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING THAT WAS MISSING, EVERYBODY THAT GOT UPSET IT, OKAY, THAT'S WHAT WAS MISSING.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S IN PLACE NOW.
SO WE MOVING FORWARD, IF, IF, UH, AND IF I MAY ADD TO THAT, IT'S, UH, THE IMPORTANT PART IS THAT THERE IS A REQUIREMENT
[00:40:01]
NOW IN THIS ILA FOR A COLLABORATION FROM THE PROMOTERS TO COLLABORATE WITH THE AGENCIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE STAKEHOLDERS IN THAT EVENT, TO ENSURE THAT THE PLANNING, THE SAFETY, AND THE MANAGEMENT ARE INCORPORATED AND ADDRESSED TOGETHER INSTEAD OF THE PROMOTERS DOING, UH, SETTING UP THE PLAN, AND THEN JUST LISTING PUBLIC SAFETY AS A RESPONSE AGENCY IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.WE WILL NOW BE INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THAT EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN, WHICH WILL GIVE US SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, UH, THROUGHOUT THAT EVENT.
THAT IS THE, UH, THE DIFFERENCE.
AND PROFESSOR STEVE IMAN, IMAN REALLY LAID IT OUT.
I MEAN, UH, HE LAID OUT THE FOUR POINTS, WHICH PRETTY MUCH CAPTURES WHAT THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT IS ALL ABOUT.
SO COMMUNICATION BEING VERY, VERY CLEAR, THE CALENDARING OF EVENTS, ALL THAT IS VERY, VERY CLEAR.
AND WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT IS VERY, VERY CLEAR.
IT'S NOT TO SAY THAT THOSE THINGS WERE ABSENT, SO TO SPEAK, THEY JUST WASN'T AS ALIGNED AS THEY NEEDED TO BE.
AND WHEN THERE'S NOT ALIGNMENT, THERE IS CONFUSION.
AND WHERE THERE'S CONFUSION, THERE'S HESITANCY, AND WHERE THERE'S HESITANCY, BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, AS THE MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, YOU KNOW, WHEN I'M CALLING MY TEAM, I WANT CLEAR ANSWERS.
YOU KNOW, WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PERMITTING OF THIS EVENT? WELL, I THINK THIS WILL LAY IT OUT WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH NRG.
WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, AND WHO'S COMING AND WHAT'S THE PLAN.
SAME THING WHEN WE ARE DEALING WITH, UH, CHIEF, UH, CHRISTEN, SHE HAS HER ROLE.
WELL, I NEED TO KNOW THAT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING BEFORE THIS EVENT EVEN UNFOLDS.
SO IF I'M TALKING TO COMMISSIONER GARCIA, HE AND I BOTH HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING AS WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT ON FUTURE EVENTS.
SO IT JUST, YOU KNOW, WE ARE TWO ENTITIES, BUT WE ARE TWO ENTITIES THAT WE ARE BROTHERS AND SISTERS, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO, TO KNOW WHAT OUR RESPECTIVE ROLES ARE.
BUT, BUT THE PROFESSOR LAID IT OUT, YOU KNOW, UM, I WAS TAKING THE, THE NOTES, HE REMINDED ME OF A LAW SCHOOL PROFESSOR.
I WAS SAYING, HELL, I'M BACK IN LAW SCHOOL NOW,
BUT HE CAPTURED THE FOUR POINTS.
AND SO I WOULD WORK FROM HIS, AND I'M JUST LOOKING FOR MORE CLARITY ON WHAT THOSE FOUR POINTS, HOW THEY DIFFER FROM WHAT WAS EXISTING.
HE SAID, WHAT THIS DOES, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THE PREVIOUS DIDN'T? I WOULD SAY THAT IT, IT CLARIFIES AND CODIFIES, THAT'S A GOOD WORD.
CLARIFIES AND CODIFIES WHAT THE RESPECTIVE ROLES ARE OF ALL THE PARTIES BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
THE PROFESSOR IS ABOUT
UM, SO THE 2018 VERSION OF THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT PAINTED IN VERY BROAD STROKES.
WHAT WE'VE DONE IS FRANKLY USE A MUCH FINER BRUSH.
SO UNDER THE DOCUMENT, AS WE HAVE DRAFTED IT IN THE UNIFIED COMMAND CENTER, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT HAVE TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNICATIONS CHAIN.
SO NOW WE HAVE EXPRESSLY SAID THAT THE LICENSEE OF THE SPACE HAS TO BE PART OF THE DECISION MAKING GROUP.
YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE WE HAVE A LOT OF SMART PEOPLE HERE, BUT IF ONE OF THEM CAN'T HEAR AND CAN'T SEE, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE PART OF ANY DECISION.
SO THE DRAFT DOCUMENT, AS WE HAVE CREATED, IT SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIES THE PARTIES.
THAT MUST BE PART OF THE PROCESS.
AND FRANKLY, THAT'S A BIG STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BECAUSE NOW SOMEBODY CAN'T SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, I'M BUSY, OR, YOU KNOW, MY, YOU KNOW, MY DOG GOT SICK, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
NO, IT'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE PART OF THE LAW THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED FOR AN EVENT OF THIS SIZE.
UH, JUST BRIEFLY, WHAT IS THE TIMELINE TO FULLY IMPLEMENT ALL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, THOSE FOUR POINTS, AND WHAT TYPES OF, UM, ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS OR CHECKS AND BALANCES ARE THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS BEING IMPLEMENTED AS IT SHOULD VOTE NOW? YEAH.
Y'ALL ARE VOTING, YOU'RE VOTING ON TOMORROW, OR YOU WANNA MENTION THAT? YEAH, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TAKING ACTION.
I MEAN, WE'RE PUTTING ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN PLACE.
WE'LL HAVE OUR RESOLUTION, UH, THAT WE'LL BE, UH, PUTTING OUT OR HAVING ON THE AGENDA AND, UH, UH, A SUBSEQUENT AGENDA ITEM.
AND, UH, THE MAYOR AND IS GONNA
[00:45:01]
BE, UH, WORKING WITH HIS ELECTED OFFICIALS, LIKE THE COUNCIL MEMBER TO, UH, BRING IT FORWARD AND BEGIN THE, THE CODIFYING PROCESS.SO IT'LL, YOU KNOW, AS OF EARLY AS THIS TOMORROW WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON THIS.
IF, IF YOU DON'T MIND ME SAYING, COMMISSIONER, FOR EXAMPLE, AS COMMISSIONER WAS SAYING, I'M GONNA USE THE HOUSTON RODEO, UH, AS AN EXAMPLE, ONCE THIS GOES THROUGH TOMORROW, UH, WE'VE ALREADY BEEN, BEGAN DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'LL START MEETING BECAUSE THE HOUSTON RODEO'S COMING UP, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALL RELATE TO.
AND SO THOSE ME, THOSE MEETINGS HAVE STARTED, WE'LL NOW BECOME A PART OF THAT AND THEN BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK TO COURT INTO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AS HE, UH, ASK THAT HOW IT'S WORKING.
SO IT WILL BE AN IMMEDIATE, AS SOON AS THIS IS PASSED.
AS FAR AS OVERSEEING THOUGH, IS THAT COMMISSIONER'S COURT THAT'S MAKING SURE EVERYTHING'S GETTING DONE AS IT SHOULD? PERRY TURNER? IT'S, UH, YEAH.
SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN, WE ARE NOW, BECAUSE OF THIS ILA, WE ARE REQUIRED TO BEGIN OUR MEETINGS AND THAT WILL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY.
UH, SO I'LL WORK WITH RYAN, UH, AND THE COUNTY TO ESTABLISH REGULAR MEETINGS, UH, AND THEN LOOK, UH, EVENTS, WORK WITH A, AN EVENT WORK PLAN.
UH, WE NEED TO ALL BE ON THE SAME PAGE WITH REQUISITES.
IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE NOT RIGHT NOW, IT'S THAT WE NOW NEED TO MEET AND WITH THE, UH, CALENDAR IN MIND TO REVIEW THE, THE TOTAL CALENDAR AND THEN WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO STAND THOSE EVENTS UP AND TO GET READY TO GO THROUGH THOSE PROCESSES.
UH, EVENT REQUISITES ARE NOT UNKNOWN.
WE, WE KNOW WHAT THOSE EVENT REQUISITES ARE.
WE IMPLEMENT THEM EVERY DAY VERY, VERY SUCCESSFULLY.
BUT WE NEED TO BE ON THE SAME, UTILIZE THE UTILIZING THE SAME COMMUNICATION TOOLS, UH, AND, UM, AND, AND REVIEW THE CALENDAR.
BUT THAT'LL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY.
HOW WOULD THE, HOW WOULD THE, BOTH THE EXISTING ILA AND THE FUTURE ILA THAT'LL TAKE PLACE HERE IN A NUMBER OF HOURS OR DAYS, COMPARE TO OTHER MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS, KING COUNTY, LA COUNTY, MARICOPA COUNTY, PICK THE COUNTY OF YOUR CHOOSING? WELL, IF I MAY, THE, UH, THIS ILA IS SPECIFIC TO THE NRG, WHICH THE JURISDICTION IN, IN THAT VENUE IS, IS, UM, A LITTLE HAZY.
WHAT THIS ILA DOES IS IT OUTLINES EXACTLY WHAT THE RESPONSIBILITIES ARE FOR EVERY AGENCY.
IN RESPONSE TO THAT, HOW IT COMPARES, WE DID LOOK AT OTHER, UH, MUNICIPALITIES, OTHER VENUES TO SEE WHAT, WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
AGAIN, UH, A VERSION OF THIS WHEEL HAS ALREADY BEEN INVENTED, BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IS TAILORED THIS ILA TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION, ESPECIALLY, UH, FROM THE PROMOTER'S STANCE, RIGHT? THE REQUIREMENT FOR TO BUILD AN EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN IS ALREADY THERE.
THAT IS A REQUIREMENT FOR PROMOTERS.
WHAT THIS ILA DOES IS IT REQUIRES THAT COLLABORATION, THAT DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN TO INCLUDE PUBLIC SAFETY AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS FROM THE BEGINNING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT EAP.
THAT IS THE BIG DIFFERENCE, UH, THAT, THAT, UH, WE'RE CODIFYING WITH THIS ILA AND, AND WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT IS, DID LOS ANGELES COUNTY CODIFY THAT TWO YEARS AGO? THEY DON'T HAVE IT AT ALL.
THEY CODIFIED IT 10 YEARS AGO.
BUT CAN I SAY SOMETHING OUTTA RESPECT TO YOUR CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS? I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT ONCE IT'S SIGNED OFF, THE 2018 IS ALREADY WAS IN EFFECT.
AND WE SAID THAT THERE WAS SOME SHORTCOMINGS.
ONCE IT'S SIGNED OFF, IT'S GONNA BE A PUBLIC DOCUMENT AND WE ASK THAT THE, THE MEDIA AND EVERYBODY ELSE LOOK AT IT AND COMPARE AND SEE WHERE WE ARE.
I, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S THE SOLUTION, PLEASE.
WELL, FIRST MAYOR, I JUST WANTED TO APPRECIATE AND RECOGNIZE YOUR LEADERSHIP.
COMMISSIONER GARCIA, EVERYONE BEHIND US ON THE PARTNERSHIP, I THINK, AND EVERYONE THAT'S NOT STANDING UP HERE, 'CAUSE A LOT OF WORK DID GO INTO THIS.
UM, AS, AS CHAIR OF PUBLIC SAFETY, ONE OF THE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES ABOUT THIS IS THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A AREA THAT IS BOTH COUNTY AND CITY.
AND THAT IS VERY UNIQUE THAT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN NECESSARILY COMPARE IT TO ANOTHER CITY AS YOU DEAL WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT ARE PARTICULAR TO HOUSTON.
BUT WHAT I FIND VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT THESE IMPROVEMENTS AND LOOKING AHEAD IS BRINGING, AS THE CHIEF SAID, PROMOTERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OUR JURISDICTIONS INTO THE CONVERSATION TOGETHER EARLY.
SO IT'S NOT THE PROMOTERS MAKING ALL OF THESE DECISIONS AND THE CITY AND THE COUNTY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT BEING FORCED TO REACT TO THAT.
SO THAT I THINK IS A VERY UNIQUE AND IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVE OF THIS SIMILAR MAYOR TO WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH CHAPTER 25 THIS WEEK AT COUNCIL.
IT'S GIVING THE CITY THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH AN EYE TOWARDS PUBLIC SAFETY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND AN EFFICIENT AND SAFE MANNER.
[00:50:03]
DID WE GET ANY, DID WE GET ANYTHING? I KNOW THIS IS PRESS CONFERENCE NUMBER TWO AND, AND, UH, I'LL SEE YOU AROUND, UH, LATER ON TODAY FOR PRESS CONFERENCE NUMBER THREE.UH, BUT, UH, BUT NO, LET ME, LET ME THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING VERY, VERY PATIENT.
YES, I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN, WE HAVE OCCUPIED A LOT OF YOUR TIME, BUT, UM, ON TWO MAJOR SUBJECT MATTERS.
SO LET ME THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND AND REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.
HAVING SAID THAT, I THINK, I THINK WE, UH, WE ARE DONE.
LEMME THANK EVERYBODY WHO'S HERE.