WHILE schools hope their athletes avoid disaster on the track, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is ensuring none happens off it during the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships.

ODPEM currently has several personnel in attendance at the National Stadium for the five-day championships.

While many may associate the organisation with natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, their importance is understated as they give the final approval for the championships to go ahead.

The entity has the authority to halt events on the track if certain safety protocols are breached.

ODPEM Regional Co-ordinator Marlon Brown says their mandatory presence is crucial for the safety of all stakeholders involved at the stadium.

“We have to understand that ODPEM is the only agency of its kind in the country that manages disasters on a whole, so natural, manmade and technological [disasters] fall under ODPEM,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“It only takes one incident and we have a mass problem happening, so as part of the mandate of ODPEM under the Disaster Risk Management Act of 2015 we are required to oversee [and] coordinate during the events. So we have to do an event contingency, along with the event organisers, to make sure a contingency is in place alongside the overall plan for the National Stadium.”

With tens of thousands of supporters attending the championships, Brown says measures are in place to avoid any potential disaster.

“Our responsibility is the overall coordination and to ensure a fulsome, rapid deployment of resources and personnel should we have an incident happening,” he said.

“We have personnel along with the fire brigade, police, private security, and the event organisers to make sure we try to mitigate potential things happening beforehand.”

Saturday, the final day, is typically the most attended with over 30,000 fans likely to pack into the stadium.

An issue this poses is fans standing or staying in areas such as exits to watch the events.

Brown says while ODPEM and organisers ISSA are doing their best to address the issue, supporters must be more conscious of the dangers they may create.

“It also comes out to a personal responsibility, because if you’re attending an event you ought to ensure you conform to what is required at the event, and you don’t oppose the rules and regulations that are put in place. Listen to the marshalls and officers to guide you along for you to enjoy what you came for in a safe manner,” said Brown.

“It’s a constant and repeated message that, over time hopefully, that the patrons get the message [that] if they’re orderly then it makes for a safe event, so when those look from overseas they’ll see we’re a disciplined people, we understand safety and how to handle ourseleves. What that does for us is a part of just giving a positive image — it highlights our capability as a nation.”

— Daniel Blake