City of Jacksonville, Florida Operation GameDay

The Olson Group, Ltd. (OGL) planned, developed, conducted, and evaluated a hybrid tabletop/functional exercise, Operation GameDay, addressing plans and procedures for responding to a severe weather event during an NFL football game at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.  The exercise provided over 200 participants with an opportunity to evaluate current response coordination and communications concepts, plans, and capabilities.  The exercise was built around a realistic scenario, delivered through multimedia and one-on-one facilitation, that required players to address command and control, coordination and critical decision making. Operation GameDay employed a novel combination of discussion-based and operations-based exercise methods designed to deliver a heightened level of reality and intensity for participants.  Participants included public and private sector entities responsible for events at the stadium and the safety of attendees: the management and staff of EverBank Field, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the National Football League, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue, the Duval County Sheriff’s Department, transportation providers, stadium vendors, emergency medical services and other units engaged in protecting public health and safety. More than 15 firms, agencies and departments took part in planning for the exercise.