Case Study: Oxford, Mississippi – Double Decker Festival

Closing Gaps and Building Confidence with an Experience-Led Tabletop Exercise

Josh leading a tabletotop in Oxford, Mississippi

Each spring, Oxford, Mississippi becomes home to the Double Decker Festival – a free, open-air music and arts event that draws more than 100,000 people into the heart of the city. Multiple concerts, races, and vendor operations all take place in a small, historic downtown district that also serves as a critical traffic artery.

Managing safety for an event of this scale is complex. For Police Chief Jeff McCutchen of the Oxford Police Department, the challenge was ensuring every team – police, fire, EMS, EMA, and event staff – was prepared not just on paper, but in practice. That’s why he chose to bring in Retired Captain Josh Bitsko of Bitsko Consulting to run a Tabletop Exercise and evaluate Oxford’s readiness.

The Challenges Large, unpredictable crowds due to the Double Decker Festival’s free admission Road closures in a small downtown square critical to Oxford’s traffic flow Multiple simultaneous activities – races, vendor load-in and load-out, performances, etc. Need for strong multi-agency coordination between event staff and first responders

“I wanted to look at our ops plan and how we were utilizing staff as part of the pre-event planning. But I was also concerned with supporting a prepared mindset and knowing we would make the right calls to save as many lives as possible if something tragic happened.” – Chief McCutchen

“It was really eye opening. From the moment the meeting kicked off, there were so many notes being taken. We felt like we had a good plan until Josh got in there to consult on things that we should adjust. The city ended up spending a good bit of money to increase safety and security, and to enhance what we were already doing” – Chief McCutchen

The Approach Reviewed Oxford’s pre-event operations plan with tailored, specific recommendations Identified potential gaps in traffic control, communications, and contingency plans Shared strategies for mid-event adjustments and effective debriefs Integrated mental readiness and resilience into tactical planning

The Results Gaps closed: Event staff and responders came away with stronger contingency plans and more focus Unified Response: Agencies and event staff entered the event aligned, confident, and prepared to act decisively Lasting Impact: The city now has proven strategies, tested procedures, and a stronger foundation for future events

“I'm so glad we did this. It really brought a heightened awareness. The officers were scanning more, they were moving more, they were looking more. It created this locked-in presence because we all feel more confident once we have a plan and we know we can execute that plan.” – Chief McCutchen

Chief McCutchen’s Perspective

“I highly recommend reaching out to Bitsko Consulting for your pre-event planning and resiliency training. 

If you have a 10,000 person department or a 10 person department, their training and consulting is good for you. If we're not training and learning, it's hurting our people. As leaders, the goal is to take care of our people and get it right. Bitsko Consulting is going to come in and give you everything they have. They'll listen to you and help you build a successful plan. 

It already has our city getting more people and their families involved in mental health. It was much greater than just a police resource; it truly was beneficial to the entire city.”

For more information about the why tabletop exercises matter, you can read Josh's blog about them here.

Contact Bitsko Consulting

Prepare your team for the next big event – before the crowd arrives.

702-373-7885 | information@bitskoconsulting.com | www.bitskoconsulting.com