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City outlines special‑events planning as Annapolis 250 approaches
Summary
OEM staff described how the city coordinates large events — from permits and incident action plans to volunteer CERT and parade marshals — and previewed the two‑day Annapolis 250 program expected to draw thousands of visitors.
City emergency management staff told the Public Safety Committee they provide technical planning, resource coordination and EOC support for large public events and detailed preparations for the upcoming Annapolis 250 celebrations in July.
Patrick Hammer, an OEM planner, said the office supports major events by creating incident action plans, conducting operations briefings and, when necessary, activating the Emergency Operations Center to coordinate multi‑agency responses. He described OEM’s role in permit review, large‑event logistics and volunteer management, and said CERT volunteers and parade marshals are used to maintain safety during parades and other public gatherings.
The chair outlined a two‑day Annapolis 250 schedule that includes a July 3 film and musical presentation at St. John’s College followed by neighborhood and children’s bike parades and a July 4 parade ending at the State House. “I would guess that we’re probably gonna see an influx of 10 to 15,000 people coming into Annapolis,” the chair said, characterizing that figure as an estimate.
Hammer said OEM focuses its support on larger events identified by city leadership, coordinates regularly with the city special events coordinator and partner agencies (including Maryland State Police and Maryland Capitol Police), and produces planning products such as EOC and incident action plans when events require them.
The presentation noted last year’s event support hours (477 planning hours and 146 operations hours among staff) and that planning is scalable: not every event requires full OEM involvement but the office provides enhanced technical planning for those that do. Council members asked for the slide deck to be shared with the full council for constituent meetings and future planning.
No formal actions or approvals relating to the Annapolis 250 program were taken at the meeting; OEM staff said they will continue planning with city departments and external partners.
