Pocono News Section

Behind the scenes with security at Pocono

Behind the scenes with security at Pocono - Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 04:01AM EST

Reported by: Monica Madeja
Saturday June 05 2010

A small northeast Pennsylvania town is about to become the third largest city in the state thanks to the Pocono 500.

During a normal weekend, Tunkhannock Township in Monroe County has about 10 thousand people, but by Sunday that number will be doubled when all the race fans are in town.

What they don't know is that there's an army of people working behind the scenes to keep them safe.

It isn't the quiet country life people in Monroe County are used to on a daily basis. That's because it is race weekend.

"Race day is a little hectic," said Guy Miller, the director of Monroe County Emergency Management. "We get anywhere from 140 thousand to 160 people here at the racetrack on one day."

As revelers wait for NASCAR's finest to hit the tricky triangle, guy miller will help coordinate a team of emergency professionals to help keep race day on track.

For the first time, his command center is located on the racetrack grounds.

"We rely on a lot of agencies from the state and federal government. But one thing we've learned is that the first 6-7 hours of an incident the traffic is just going to be so horrendous to get assets in here, we need to pre-stage assets here," Miller says.

The race track is even equipped with two emergency rooms. They can take care of race fans with injuries ranging from a broken ankle to a heart attack.

"It's completely like an ER back at the hospital," said Mike Wargo, director of Medical Operations at the track. "We don't have X-ray technology, but we can stabilize patients here and then send them to the appropriate hospital."

The medical team even uses the race as a way to train for a major disaster.

"If a major community disaster were to happen, the physical resources we bring to the raceway are the same deployable resources we have for disasters," said Wargo.

So as you cheer on your favorite driver towards victory Sunday, you might think for a second about the behind the scenes crew who is trying to keep you safe.

"The racing looks fun there's a lot of people, but that's what we're responsible for. We are responsible for the health and well-being for every spectator that comes to this track," said Miller.

Miller said planning for the two NASCAR events at Pocono takes all year. Starting Monday morning, they will be putting together details for the next event.