Event Organiser’s should have robust Emergency Response Plans in place to manage reasonably foreseeable incidents and undesirable occurrences at their event. These plans should be shared during key stakeholder engagement to identify any gaps in the plans and processes, with the ability to test the responses and identify roles and responsibilities in advance of the event.
A well thought out Emergency Response Plan (ERP) will contain detailed instructions of how to deal with incidents such as:
- Inclement weather (e.g. lightning strikes, high winds, heavy rainfall and extreme heat)
- Security breaches
- Crowd related incidents (e.g. crowd collapse/critical density)
- Structural deterioration (e.g. marquee/stage collapse.front of stage barrier )
- Gas leak, fires, and electrical failures
- Terrorism
- Active Shooter
It is recommended that your plan should include:
- Command and Control
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Communications
- Monitoring capability
- The provision of medical assistance and first aid administration
- Emergency response specific to the site and who will assume control
- Communicating with the audience
- Showstop™
- Evacuation plans
In the majority of events, the Showstop™ Procedure should form an instrumental element of the ERP. The Showstop™ Procedure has been designed to be a rapid, coordinated and controlled response to reduce the risk to life safety during a live performance.
Using competent personnel, the Showstop™ Procedure must be communicated effectively, with key stakeholders, in advance of the event and finalised during the day of show safety briefing, where introductions, stage positions and key personnel involved with the Showstop™ Procedure are identified and understand their roles, responsibilities and duty to cooperate fully.
The Showstop™ Procedure also serves to reduce the Audience Pre-Movement Time, which further reduces risks to life safety for those audience members in attendance if an evacuation is directed.
Emergency conditions at events can often arise with little or no warning and can present a situation which unless swiftly responded to, can result in major injuries or worse, as history has proven.
The Showstop™ Procedure is a globally proven concept which is robust, swift, and extremely effective as an essential safety mechanism for those who consider the safety of their audience as a priority.
The Showstop™ Procedure should be under the direction of competent personnel, who are well versed with similar events and who can dynamically assess between an emergency life threatening situation, or ‘normal’ audience behavioural patterns.
Communicating the right messages, to the right people, at the right time is critical.
Effective communication, between performers representatives, safety coordinators, crowd managers, stage managers, tour security personnel, promoter’s representatives, security, venue management and local authorities, will identify which personnel will have the authority to initiate the Showstop™ and how this will be most effectively communicated this with performers and the audience.
How the message is communicated to the audience should be pre-arranged, documented and finalised at the day of show safety meeting to ensure all parties are completely clear with what life safety situations may determine a Showstop™, the actions to be taken, personnel involved and the procedure for restarting the performance if safe to do so.
It should be clear who has the authority to call for a Showstop™. This should also be documented.
As ever, with crowd safety measures, while planning is important, delivery is critical and can mean the difference between life or death.
Using trained professionals to manage your Showstop™, is strongly recommended, as part of your life safety strategy for the safety of your audience.