It could have been a scene from an action movie, but it was all too real. Last summer, when President Bush's motorcade was on its way to Washington University for the presidential debate in St. Louis, an air conditioner in a nearby building caught fire. Normally, handling such an incident would be routine for firefighters. But in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, world, in which stolen firefighting apparatuses and uniforms could become tools in a terrorist attack, authorities had to alert the Secret Service that the firetrucks racing toward the presidential motorcade were the real thing.

"Lead cars in the motorcade are trained to take out a threat," said Nick Gragnani, who was deputy director of St. Louis County's Office of Emergency Management and part of the security management team when the incident occurred. "Had we not communicated at that instant that the firetrucks were viable, some serious issues could have developed."

Fortunately, thanks to months of planning and a high-tech communications system that integrated messages from many federal and local agencies, word reached the motorcade in time. But the incident showed that no matter how much officials plan, special events require a blend of security protocols and technology to enable officials to make snap decisions. Sometimes, as in St. Louis last summer, a local official's quick action could avert disaster.

Formal protocols

Special-event security is becoming an increasingly important specialty. It is a factor at national political events, such as Bush's second inauguration or a State of the Union address. It's called for whenever events, such as the Super Bowl or the Olympic Games, draw large crowds.

Sometimes officials have months or even years to prepare for the event; other times, security forces must mobilize on a moment's notice, such as last summer's state funeral for President Reagan.

In any case, events involving top-echelon political leaders and tens of thousands of onlookers are prime targets for terrorist attacks.