Page 18 - Security Today, November/December 2022

Risk-based Approach to Festivals and Fairs By Ty Richmond and Travis Strawbridge The event security industry, which includes concerts, conventions, sporting and other special events, was one of the sectors hit hardest by the global pandem- ic, as events ground to a halt overnight, but the sector has come roaring back to life with lightning speed. While pre-pandemic, there were generally one two major fes- tival at a time across the county, today, there are often six to 8 festivals occurring simultaneously. As the sector is in ‘catch-up’ mode with more events occurring than in any time in recent U.S. history, a risk-based approach to event security at festivals and fairs is more important than ever. RISK-BASED APPROACH TO EVENT SECURITY What is a risk-based approach to event security? A risk-based ap- proach to event security starts with pre-planning through post- show wrap-up. It ensures that security has a seat at the table from start to finish. Security management teams work closely with event leaders and organizers to ensure consistency and success from show to city to venue. Event security entails far more than staffing the venue with security staff. The process is complex and requires extensive co- ordination, communication and advance planning. Every venue requires its own specific strategy and roadmap, which includes extensive facility orientation. Advance planning requires teamwork with the venue’s facility management and local law enforcement to put together a ‘best practices’ methodology that can be used to address a myriad of emergency scenarios. Risk is a critical concern for every event. It is important for leaders to recognize risk management as a foundation of opera- tional success and implement strategies to address risk proactive- ly. Risks associated with employee well-being may be due to the lack of a strong safety culture, and therefore a workplace safety program needs to be an integral component of the event planner’s overall approach to risk management. The organization can begin to safely manage risk by engaging in 360-communication. Event security leaders create a safety culture when they actively engage their team to communicate their safety vision and model safe practices. It is important to make the time to communicate your safety commitment through regular meetings, written communications and safety events. Open communication be- tween leadership and employees supports expectations, engagement and motivation—all essential to a safe event security workplace. When an event security team starts their preparation for a ma- jor festival, they review and analyze a comprehensive master list of what happened at other festivals. Under review includes everything from how many people required medical intervention, how much water was given out to festivalgoers, crowd management, potential assaults, thefts and occupancy rates. Hazard identification is a key part of any injury and illness prevention program. Unidentified, hazards cannot be mitigated properly. Review event records of ac- cidents, injuries, illnesses and near misses to recognize trends. MITIGATING FUTURE TRAGEDIES On Nov. 5 2021, at an Astroworld Festival near Houston, a con- cert turned into a tragedy when the crowd surged, causing mul- tiple fatalities and serious injuries. The state of Texas formed the Texas Task Force on Concert Safety. “Live music is a source of joy, entertainment and community for so many Texans—and the last thing concertgoers should have to worry about is their safety and security,” said Gov. Greg Ab- bott. “From crowd control strategies and security measures to ad- dressing controlled substances, this task force will develop mean- ingful solutions that will keep Texans safe while maximizing the joy of live music events.” The Task Force issued a report with recommendations on uni- fied on-site command and control, permitting, training, planning with risk assessment and centralized resources. Gov. Abbott’s re- port highlights the importance of a risk-based approach to event security; highlighting every critical component necessary to re- duce overall risk exposure. CONTINUAL TRAINING IS CRITICAL Security and event staff require comprehensive training for each specific event. “A series of preshow steps, including tabletop exer- cises, site walkthrough drills, and security briefings before and af- ter shifts, establishment of a clear and well-disseminated commu- nication tree, and agreed-upon show-stop triggers and responses are some of the elements of successful event protocol,” reports the Texas Task Force on Concert Safety. Detailed, comprehensive training is vitally important for event security staff. Training methods include classroom training, field training, hands-on simulation training, tabletop exercises, work- shops, E-learning, certification courses, Guard Card courses and annual refresher classes. CROWD CONTROL, EMERGENCY EVACUATION TRAINING Event security professionals do not need a Ph.D. in psychology but they do need a thorough understanding of ‘crowd psychol- ogy.’ What is crowd psychology? It is the collective psychological mindset of a large group of generally like-minded individuals in the same general vicinity of each other. In an organized crowd environment, many of the social barriers that exist in conventional behavior have decreased, or ignored. This stems largely from a person’s identity being, in part, in congruence with the crowd as a whole. For example, people who attend a con- cert have a shared and common interest with every other person in that crowd with the general enjoyment of the music/artist. Equipping security personnel with the knowledge, awareness and basic tactics to safely engage, monitor and move large crowds of peo- ple in a safe and effective manner is of critical importance. This spe- 18 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 | SECURITY TODAY EVENT SECURITY