Emergency Evacuation System

[thesafetyofficer]

The police will have an envolvement - A large one at that. Whether its on private property or not.Thats coming from a friend who is a senior officer.

 

What happens if a riot breaks loose?

Where will you evacuate 3000 people to?

How will you physically alert them if you do not incorporate some kind of broadcast system?

What happens if drink/drugs appear?

 

The police won't like people spilling out into the street so they will probably want to attend. It's also a great opportunity to do stop searches and show a presence in public.

 

I worked at a small festival in the north east last year - With only 1000 people on private property - they had police vehicles and even a mobile control room working along side security.

 

No matter how many or how beefy your campus security are you will need to give the police their oppertunity to come along. And if your risk assessments deem so, you will need an electronic evacuation system.

 

As my PM has said, I can get plenty of places to supply you with one. And believe me, if something does happen - You will not regret the use of it. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time when an event had to be evacuated, as they didn't have an evacuation system in place the public stood back and watched - and prevented the emergency services from helping. So at any gig where I have a planning role, I always ensure I have some sort of system.

 

 

Further to some previous posts and just to clarify, the police will have no involvement in the actual running of your event. They will express their concerns if they feel you are not up to it and can ultimately pose an objection to the granting of your licence if they feel that your event is likely to become a threat to public safety. They will be unlikely to give you much advice as to how you should deal with emergencies as they are keen not to be held liable. As previously stated you would be strongly advised to allow them access to the event and it is always wise to invite them along at the planning stages. Any attempts to prevent them from attending will be seen as trying to conceal some crime and they will always think the worst. The police do not have any training for management of peaceful crowds and will always assume that music festivals are drug ravaged hotbeds of crime designed to corrupt our youth. I know this sounds cynical but until you build a relationship with your local police they will be suspicious as they basically don't understand what we do. It is entirely your responsibility to plan and manage the event successfully and in a safe manner. The police are essentially a reactive force who will respond when things go wrong. If at any point they feel that things have got out of your control they have the right to step in and take command of the situation. Until then it's up to you. Work together with them and bring them into the team and it will work to your advantage. At major events I manage the Emergency Liaison Team which is made up of representatives of all agencies who have tactical decision making capability and are able to respond effectively to incidents. It also brings the police into the control room (where I can keep an eye on them) and not only makes them feel included but shows them that we are a skilled group of professionals who are able to run events. A back up PA system is an essential tool in your planning but the critical thing is the people who operate it and manage the crowd. Make sure your planning and briefings include the security, stewards and (critically) the performers. A well planned and rehearsed "showstop" is the key to any crisis management plan. No amount of loud hailers, shouting or waving of arms will have any effect if the band are still playing, the house lights are down and the crowd are focussed upon what they've paid to see. Get the band on side and brief them as soon as they arrive. They are the best people to help you and the crowd will respond to their instructions from the stage better than anyone else ( but make sure you tell them what to say - prepare a script). Some fatalities have occurred due to lack of training and awareness. In some very high profile cases the band had no idea that people were dying in front of the stage and just kept on playing until it was too late.

 

Good luck with all your events.