KING COUNTY, Wash. — As the World Cup’s international stage takes over King County and beyond, hundreds of people across multiple agencies are working to keep thousands of people safe all at once.
They do that by putting a slew of people in the King County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for each match day.
In what’s been deemed the “war room”, multiple agencies are keeping an eye on dozens of big and little screens to watch what is happening and what calls are coming in before, during, and after the match.
King County EOC Director Brendan McCluskey tells us the center is also activated for other big events or emergencies, like December’s historic flooding or the Seahawks Super Bowl Parade.
“We do activate this center on a regular basis for events and emergencies,” McCluskey said.
He and King County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Special Operations Jose Marenco say they have been planning for this event for 2.5 years.
“It’s critically important, not only for the people who live here who might not be going to the games, but for everybody who’s coming in,” McCluskey said. “Residents, visitors, and our international friends as well.”
Marenco says that to keep an eye on everyone and everything all at once, they use a lot of tools and agencies.
“With Guardian One [the King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter], we are supporting everyone by giving an understanding of what’s going on out in the field and reporting that to the sheriff’s office, Seattle police, FBI and Counter UAS Team,” Marenco said.
McCluskey said they are looking for any issue, whether it be big or small.
“We are certainly concerned about potential terrorism but also just anything happening,” McCluskey said. “Even if somebody just looks to be sick, we want everybody to be safe.”
They tell us the stadium and the area around it are not their only point of concern.
“We have Special Ops teams out there for Air Support, Marine Units out; we also have quite an influx of officers working the transit system because that’s the main way people are coming into the city,” Marenco said.
“Renton has a base camp where Team Belgium is practicing and living; there are watch parties across the state, and in King County, we want to make sure we know what’s going on there and they know what’s going on here,” McCluskey said.
They say the end of each match day is a sigh of relief every time the crowds go home happy and healthy.
“Just be safe, have fun, take it all in. This is a great event, and it’s even greater because it’s going to be a safe event,” Marenco said.
They tell us you can help with match day safety too. If you see something suspicious, say something.
For more information, you can check King County’s match day website.
Watch KIRO 7 News live at 11 a.m. Friday for the full story.