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Large Event Site Map and Emergency Plan Support in Boston, MA

Restroom placement and unit details for the site map an event of 1,500 or more needs, so the Emergency Action Plan can be filed with the permit.

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  • Standard units, ADA units and handwash stations
  • Construction sites, festivals and private events
  • Delivery, servicing and pickup scheduled around your dates

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Large Event Plans

Large Event Site Map and Emergency Plan Support: what it covers

Quick answer

A Boston event with a capacity of 1,500 or more must complete the Special Events Emergency Action Plan and submit a site map to the Office of Emergency Management, and the permit is not approved without it. Portable toilets are part of that site map. The provider supplies the unit count, the placement and the servicing plan so the organizer can include them in the file.

Large Event Site Map and Emergency Plan Support illustration for Boston, MA

A large event in Boston needs more than a permit for the street. The City's Office of Emergency Management asks for a Special Events Emergency Action Plan and a site map for any event with a capacity of 1,500 or more, and it will not approve the permit without them. The plan is the organizer's document, and the site map is the picture that shows where things are on the day.

Portable toilets belong on that map. The units, their clusters, the accessible unit and the path from the crowd to the units are all things a reviewer can check against the emergency routes, the medical posts and the exits. Whether the map must show toilet count or placement in detail was not stated in the City's material, so the organizer should show them clearly and ask the office what detail it expects.

The provider's part is the unit count, the placement sketch and the servicing schedule. Those go into the organizer's file, and the organizer submits the whole package with the application. The provider does not submit the plan for the event.

Service area
Boston & Suffolk County
Availability
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Warning signs

Signs you need large event site map and emergency plan support

Keep every unit cluster off the emergency route and clear of gates, hydrants and medical posts. Confirm the route with the stewards before the gates open, and keep the units lit so visitors and responders can find them after dark.

  • An event expecting 1,500 people or more with no emergency plan started
  • A large park event where the site map does not show the portable toilets
  • A street route where the units block a gate or a hydrant on the plan
  • A multi-stage event with several crowd zones and no unit count per zone
  • A waterfront event where the emergency route runs along the shore
Our process

How our large event site map and emergency plan support visit works

  1. Confirm the capacity figure

    The threshold is a capacity of 1,500 or more. Work out the capacity from the space and the expected crowd, and record how it was reached.

  2. Draw the site map with the units

    Show each unit cluster, the accessible unit, the handwash stations if any, and the paths from the crowd to them, on the same plan as the stages, exits and routes.

  3. Write the unit schedule

    List the number of units per cluster, the servicing times, the delivery day and the pickup day, so the emergency plan has the detail it needs.

  4. Check the emergency routes

    Confirm that no unit blocks a route, a gate, a hydrant or a medical post, and mark any cluster that sits close to a route for stewards to watch.

  5. Submit with the permit

    The organizer sends the plan and the map to the Office of Emergency Management with the event application, and keeps a copy for the event team.

When does a Boston event need an emergency action plan?

An event with a capacity of 1,500 or more must complete the Special Events Emergency Action Plan and submit a site map to the Office of Emergency Management, and the permit is not approved without it.

The threshold is a capacity figure, which is not always the same as the number of people who attend. The organizer should work out the capacity from the space, the layout and the expected crowd, and record how it was reached. A smaller event does not need this plan under the threshold, but it still needs the restroom planning described on the permits page.

What goes on the site map for portable toilets?

The units, their clusters, the accessible unit and the path from the crowd to each cluster. The map should also show the emergency routes and the medical posts, so the reviewer can check the two together.

A map that shows the toilets as a single block at the edge of the park does not help a steward who needs to know where the nearest unit is for a visitor in distress. Clusters should be shown with a number or a label, and the count per cluster written beside it. The reviewer will look for conflicts with the routes, and a clear map makes those easier to spot.

Who prepares the emergency action plan?

The event organizer prepares and submits the plan. The provider supplies the unit details that the organizer needs for the restroom part of the plan.

The organizer is the party to the permit and the party the City holds to the plan. A provider can say what its units are, how they are placed and how often they are serviced, but it cannot decide the emergency arrangements for the event. The organizer should ask the Office of Emergency Management which format it prefers, since the City's material does not describe one.

What happens if the plan changes on the day?

Changes to the layout or the unit count should be reported to the event team and, where the change affects the emergency route or the map, to the City office that reviewed the plan.

Crowds do not always follow the plan, and a cluster may need to move or a unit added. The organizer should keep the provider on the phone during the event so that units can be moved or added quickly, and the event team should note any change that affects an emergency route.

Options

Types and options for large event site map and emergency plan support

Single-venue event plan

A plan for one park, lawn or plaza, with one crowd zone and a small set of clusters.

Multi-zone event plan

A plan for an event with several stages or areas, where each zone has its own cluster count and its own servicing route.

Route-based event plan

A plan for a parade or race route, where clusters are placed at intervals along the route and checked at each stop.

Suffolk County

Why large event site map and emergency plan support is different in Greater Boston

Boston's large outdoor events run through a mix of public spaces, including the Parks reservations, the Greenway and the streets, and each needs its own routes on the map.

The Fenway Park area and the downtown arena draw crowds on game days, and the surrounding streets are where the emergency routes and unit clusters most often meet.

Patriots' Day and the Boston Marathon run along a long course, so the plan there is a route plan with clusters at intervals rather than a single-site plan.

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Where we work

Large Event Site Map and Emergency Plan Support across Suffolk County

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Related

Public Event Portable Toilets

Portable toilets for Boston public events, planned for the permit file and sized by the operator from the expected crowd and the event's length.

Boston Marathon and Race Restrooms

Clusters of portable toilets placed along a race route, sized to the spectators who line the course on Patriots' Day and other race days.

ADA Accessible Portable Toilets

Accessible units for Boston temporary events, planned as a share of each cluster under the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board's rule.

Servicing and Cleaning

Scheduled servicing and cleaning of portable toilets on Boston events and job sites, set by how many people use them and by the season.

Guides

Read before you book

FAQ

Large Event Site Map and Emergency Plan Support FAQs

What is the capacity threshold for the emergency action plan?

A capacity of 1,500 or more. Events below it still need the permit and the restroom planning, but not this plan.

Who submits the plan to the City?

The event organizer submits the plan and the site map with the application to the Office of Emergency Management.

Does the site map need the exact count per unit?

The City's material does not say. Show the count per cluster and ask the office what detail it expects.

Can the provider prepare the plan for me?

The provider can give the unit details, the placement sketch and the servicing schedule. The organizer prepares and submits the plan itself.

What contact does the City give for emergency planning?

The Office of Emergency Management's published contact is eoc@boston.gov, which the organizer can use to ask about the plan's format.

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