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Building owners, city say publicprivate drills strengthen downtown preparedness ahead of World Series events
Summary
BOMA and city officials described annual building-owner drills and extensive public-private coordination to support downtown emergency response during large events and a busy fall calendar that included Fleet Week, America's Cup and World Series activities.
Representatives of building owners and city agencies told the Disaster Council that private-sector volunteers and owners play a central role in downtown preparedness and drills.
John Bozeman, government-affairs manager for BOMA, told the council that the Emergency Operations Center provides valuable, centralized information that attracts volunteers from high-rise building management. He described recurring drills, including full-building evacuations and coordinated exercises with fire and police departments, and said these efforts help test emergency response plans that are otherwise only useful on paper.
City staff had earlier summarized a packed October calendar of public events and exercises, including a large ShakeOut drill on Oct. 18 and planning for World Series-related gatherings and a potential public viewing at Civic Center. The mayor and staff stressed the need for interdepartmental coordination and volunteer engagement as large public events continue.
Bozeman emphasized that the publicprivate partnership produces practical benefits: building owners gain best practices and the city benefits from additional capacity during major incidents. He concluded by thanking public-safety partners, noting the partnership depends on mutual support rather than one-sided responsibility.
The meeting provided no new regulations for building owners; remarks were informational and highlighted continued reliance on joint drills and shared planning.
