Mid-Missouri trains and prepares for FIFA World Cup
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The first match of the FIFA World Cup is Thursday, and some Mid-Missouri agencies are working and training for kick-off.
The Boone County Office of Emergency Management started planning for the World Cup about a year ago, deputy director Jacob Waller said.
"We kind of started planning internally some of the issues we thought we might see, everything from, you know, increased medical emergencies or increased tourists, increased traffic on I-70, all of that kind of stuff," Waller said.
The emergency management office isn't sending anyone to help out in Kansas City, Waller said. The focus is on assisting and training in the county.
"We're just kind of planning for everything, kind of the way that we look at this is, you know, we hope we don't get any negative impacts, but we're planning for that because it's training," Waller said. "It's an excuse to get all of our stakeholders together to talk through a common problem."
He gave a couple of examples, like a crash on I-70, an influx of patients at local hospitals or bad weather.
Kansas City is expecting over 650,000 visitors from all over for the World Cup. While the office isn't sending anyone to the World Cup, Waller said they're sending at least one person to the State Emergency Operations Center to aid with resource requests.
Missouri State Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Caty Lubert said the SEOC will be running during match days and KC2026 Fan Fest times.
Pam Kramer, KC2026 CEO, said safety is a top priority for the games and Fan Fest. KC2026 is hosting and organizing the World Cup events, including the watch parties on game days.
Kramer said the safety and security planning group has over 50 agencies and 300 people involved. The Kansas City Police Department is leading much of the effort, and bringing in outside aid from local, state and federal levels.
Luebert said the Missouri State Highway Patrol is assigning 100 people a week to assist in operational and supporting roles. An additional 25 people will focus on clearing traffic crashes and other assignments.
The Columbia Police Department will be sending officers to Kansas City, spokesperson Colin Imhoff said via email. It's a voluntary sign-up, and it won't affect staffing in Columbia. The exact number of people being sent is unknown.
The Boone County Fire Protection District is staying in the county for the World Cup and preparing for emergencies, and will be ready to respond to Kansas City in case, BCFPD spokesperson Gale Blomenkamp said over text to ABC 17 News.
The Columbia Fire Department is not sending anyone.
MU Health will have a team prepared to send ambulances or aid to Kansas City, if requested, but won't send anyone ahead of time. Spokesperson Eric Maze said there will be an incident command team on duty in Columbia during matches.
Boone Health isn't sending teams. Spokesperson Christian Basi said they plan on helping out close to home.
"Our focus has to remain here in mid-Missouri to ensure our community, including all of our stay-at-home soccer fans, have access to emergency care," Basi said.
