CBRN and Hazmat Incidents at Major Public Events: Planning and Response

CHAPTER 6

Equipment Procurement

PREPARING FOR THE ONSLAUGHT OF VENDORS

Major events bring the representatives of industry out in force. Salespeople will emerge, seemingly from the woodwork. People involved in planning and execution of the safety and security efforts for major events will face not only an army of eager and (generally) well-meaning sales staff but will also have to face their managers, who have gone to trade shows and been the recipients of hard-sell tactics themselves. We should not forget the agitation from front-line responders, who may see tools that they think they will need. I know all of these situations exist, because I have played all of these roles. I have agitated my supervisors, begging for the latest and greatest equipment. I have entertained dozens of salespeople and have even run some of them off the premises. I have also been a sales manager myself, trying to stick my foot in the door of customers across Europe.

You Probably Need Stuff

The world of CBRN and HAZMAT response is heavily laden with equipment and technology. You will need tools to do your job, which means that someone will have to buy them. Most of the tools that are needed are made by private industry and are sold in commercial transactions. This situation will put you on the receiving end of salespeople and sales pitches. Salespeople are not all bad. Some are, but most are not. They have a job to do, just like you. If a substantial safety and security effort is underway for your major ...