PHASE II

 Heroes Night in general did not create serious safety concerns initially. The idea of having an event on school’s campus during a football game was an easy yes as I already had a great working relationship with my school’s administration and executive staff. I was a senior and had been elected Student Body President, which means I had already earned their respect. So, when I briefed them on Heroes Night 2021 (Version 1.0) I did not include any helicopters, which they thought was a great idea and were all supportive. However, when I introduced the idea of Heroes Night 2022 (Version 2.0) and helicopters all I heard were the sound of brakes screeching to a STOP! There were lots of “No’s”, “That is too dangerous” and “It has never been done before, so I don’t think it’s possible”. True on all accounts, and I expected that reaction. I explained that our local Law Enforcement Air Wing had already agreed to fly the mission and had completed a site safety inspection. I also explained I had called the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the County to obtain their guidance/authorization. This alleviated many of their concerns and left the door open to further discussion. That was all I needed to keep going forward.

Later, I provided a Safety & Security Slide Brief (a copy is attached on this site), which was invaluable in explaining the steps that were going to be implemented to ensure the safety and security of spectators Heroes Night 2022. By providing regular briefings to my school administrators, superintendent, and school board I was able to build a coherent team that was mutually supportive. 

The additional support of Chief James Mathias, CalFire was instrumental in alleviating many of the concerns expressed by the administration, superintendent’s office and school board. His reputation, credibility and experience offered enough assurance that the helicopter support would be conducted in a safe manner. 

On the Monday prior to Heroes Night, we held a Safety and Security Briefing with a representative from each of the outside agencies. I conducted the briefing and went over how all vehicles would enter the stadium area, where they would park and how they would exit. I also covered where outside agency vehicles would be located except for law enforcement and fire. I covered the timeline of the event and what time each vehicle and static display had to be set up by. Chief Mathias then briefed emergency protocols on site including medical and where all fire department vehicles would be positioned. Lt. John Brown of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office then briefed security and law enforcement protocols during the event, as well as the positioning of all police and SWAT equipment. Following the briefing we walked to the stadium so everyone could see the ground and where they would be parking their vehicles and equipment. This was the biggest briefing for me to date, I had briefed the School Board and the Superintendent, but this was top ranking adult officials from over a dozen outside agencies. This was not to get them onboard with my idea, this was to make sure it was executed safely. Then the next night the Mosquito Fire broke out and we all had to regroup.