Trending Topics

NFL Draft photos: Fire, EMS, police on the clock

Public safety personnel were on duty at Lambeau Field to keep fans safe and secure at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin

GREEN BAY, Wis. — More than 205,000 people gathered in and around Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, for the 2025 NFL Draft. Public safety personnel from local, state and federal agencies were on hand to monitor for threats, deter criminal behavior, keep fans safe and provide emergency medical care.

The mass gathering of football fans nearly doubled Green Bay’s population on the first night of the draft on April 24. Green Bay’s 2023 U.S. Census population was 105,744. While the crowd was largely made up of Packers fans, supporters from every NFL team were there — cheering for their team’s picks and booing their opponents.

To secure the event, municipal vehicles, concrete barriers and portable fencing were used to establish a perimeter and create a pedestrian-only zone around the stadium. Law enforcement officers were stationed along the perimeter and at entry points, where private security personnel screened attendees at multiple gates.

Inside the perimeter, law enforcement and fire/EMS personnel patrolled on foot, bike and specialty vehicles. High above the crowd, law enforcement officers occupied overwatch positions to monitor activity from above.

Public safety personnel have been planning for draft security and event response since August 2023.

Colts center Danny Pinter shares the catalyst for his cause, plus gridiron lessons to apply to the fireground

Trending
Firefighters, dispatchers and other first responders are speaking more openly about PTSD, burnout and stigma as more agencies expand mental health programs
Manchester fire officials marked the end of an era as the city’s last Gamewell master box transmitted its final alarm, closing the chapter on a telegraph-based system dating back to 1872
Lake Valley Fire Engineer Neil Schnaible died after suffering an on-duty medical emergency, but his decision to be an organ donor is expected to help save lives across the country
More than half of the Danielson Fire Department stepped down after borough officials opened the fire chief search to outside candidates

Greg Friese, MS, NRP, is a contributing editor at Police1 and a public safety training and technology thought leader. His work translates incident analysis and research-to-practice insights into how-to guidance that supports law enforcement officer readiness, operational performance and workforce resilience. He writes frequently about practical technology adoption in public safety operations, including generative AI, with an emphasis on operational application and training impact. Friese co-founded First Responder Wellness Week and co-hosts the Wellness Brief video series in the Lexipol Wellness app. Connect with Friese on LinkedIn or by email, greg@gregfriese.com.