Promoting an event or concert with a large amount of people can get out of control quickly. Just look at the Houston Concert Tragedy, the crowd surges at the Astroworld festival led to chaos. The mass casualty event had over 300 people injured and the deadliest concert in America history.
Unfortunately, tragedies such as this seem to be on the rise as more people are getting out after the pandemic. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), summarizes the code requirements regarding assembly occupancies, unique to large crowds.
NFPA Building and Life Safety Tech Lead Kristin Bigda explains:
NFPA 101contains provisions that help ensure the safe and orderly movement of crowds during an emergency. When these safety protocols and features are neglected, it can have a drastic impact on the efficiency of egress response during events such as fire or other emergencies.
All assembly occupancies must include a minimum of one trained crowd manager or crowd manager supervisor. Where the occupant load exceeds 250, additional trained crowd managers or crowd manager supervisors are required at a ratio of one for every 250 occupants. Those designated as a crowd manager or crowd manager supervisor must receive approved training in crowd management techniques, and they must also understand the required duties and responsibilities specific to the venue’s emergency plan. The procedures for providing trained crowd managers must also be part of the written emergency action plan.
Managing crowds is critical to occupant life safety during a fire or other emergency. Active and passive fire protection systems, recognizing and mitigating risk, applying special building design features, and a proactive plan and implementation for crowd management and emergency procedures are all important components of a crowd-management strategy that will help ensure occupants at large-capacity venues remain safe and under control during emergencies.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and all those affected by the tragic event.
When planning and organizing any size event safety is a big responsibility and should be taken seriously. It is important to be compliant with all the safety and fire codes.
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