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 Attacker At Dodger Stadium Gets 30 Days
Patron Dies On Rhode Island Enacts Tough Sprinkler Requirements Simon Says: Don’t Hit Running Sausage Suicide Bombers Strike At Concert Tossed Cherry Bomb Burns Boy At Baseball Game Police Disperse Overflow Crowd At Pan Am Games |
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Attacker At Dodger Stadium
Gets 30 Days
At least 32 people were injured
when an escalator suddenly accelerated as a crowded Coors Field was emptying
following a postgame fireworks show on July 2. Fortunately, most of the
injuries that occurred were fractures, cuts and bruises with no serious
injuries reported. The accident happened following a game between the
Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks, which drew a crowd of 47,032
for the big fireworks display. The escalator was carrying fans from the
upper level to the street when the malfunction took place. Paramedics
stationed at the stadium began treating the injured and called for help. The
escalator had passed an inspection two days before the accident. In all,
Coors Field has six escalators. On May 24, another escalator at the stadium
stopped abruptly during a game, leaving 12 people with cuts, bruises and
other minor injuries. Patron Dies On Wet Stairway At Concert A 26-year-old student who walked
in his bare feet during a Snoop Dogg and Red Hot Chili Peppers concert died
June 6 in the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte, NC. Ashley Faris
was walking barefoot on a wet concrete stairway with metal edges at the
facility when he was shocked and died at a nearby hospital. A passerby who
tried to help the victim was treated for electric shock. The show continued
as planned and many concertgoers never knew anyone was hurt. Rhode Island Enacts Tough Sprinkler Requirements
Simon Says: Don’t Hit Running Sausage
Suicide Bombers Strike At Concert
Tossed Cherry Bomb Burns Boy At Baseball Game
Police Disperse Overflow Crowd At Pan Am Games Police sprayed a chemical
substance on Saturday, August 16, dispersing thousands of fans waiting
outside the already-packed volleyball arena in Santo Domingo, Dominican
Republic, before the Pan American Games gold medal game between Cuba and the
Dominican Republic. The Dominican women won the match in five sets. The
arena, which holds about 8,000, was nearly full two hours earlier as the
United States women beat Brazil for the bronze medal. When that match ended,
fans were sitting in aisles and on the floor, and armed policemen and
militia were walking through the building with guard dogs. Dominican
authorities said many of the people outside the arena had tickets, but there
was no room for them. When the spray was used, it seeped into the arena and
both teams were forced to stop practicing and go back to the locker rooms.
Soldiers with shotguns stood outside the stadium, others sat atop jeeps,
while several hundred fans lingered around the arena’s locked doors. Police
said they did not use tear gas, but would not identify the substance that
was sprayed.
Mother Nature may live to regret
this one, as she brought a 70 mph wind gust out of nowhere to topple
equipment, scaffolding and lights off of an outdoor stage on August 9 at a
concert festival in Comstock, NE, called Godstock, a celebration of
Christian music. Some 40 people were on the stage at the time the winds
rolled in, but fortunately there were no injuries. The band Pillar had just
finished their set and had been off the stage only one minute when the wind
hit and blew the stage away from the crowd of 3,000 and backward into nearby
power lines.
A recent wave of thefts of
actual Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) in arenas in North Carolina and South
Carolina has left facility managers in those areas wary that there might be
future occurrences. “I’m not a detective, but it seems to be a
well-organized group of people in this deal,” said Sporty Jeralds, manager
of the Charlotte Coliseum, whose building had its only ATM stolen in
February. North Carolina arenas in Winston-Salem, Fayetteville and Raleigh
have also been targeted, as well as in Florence, SC. Jeralds said the
thieves strike on a non-event night and probably finish the heist in 10
minutes or less. Despite the fact his venue has a surveillance camera
trained on the ATM, the thieves stayed out of camera view and were able to
push the machine away with the help of a tool. “We have a new ATM and it’s
bolted down,” said Jeralds. While it has not happened yet, there is always
the danger of what might take place should the thieves meet face-to-face
with security in the building. “What if they carry guns?” asked Jeralds.
“This could make the situation much worse.” Buildings Go (Literally) Dark Following Blackout
Games between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore and Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies were not affected because the rolling blackouts didn’t extend that far south. The blackout hit the Northeast at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Other affected cities included Detroit, Toronto and Cleveland, but all three of those baseball teams were playing on the road or had the day off. At Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, a WNBA basketball game between the Houston Comets and New York Liberty was postponed. Down on Broadway, 22 shows (19 musicals and three plays) went dark on Thursday with marquees unlit. Sally Presutto, manager of event booking for World Wrestling Entertainment in Stamford, CT, said her office was affected by the blackout, but that she had a ready alternative to cope with the problem. “Thankfully, I had flashlights to help people get around,” she said. “You see, I’m the safety marshal for my floor and I take my job very seriously.” Elsewhere, other sporting events were also postponed or cancelled. The outage in the Great Lakes Region forced the postponement of the Toledo Mud Hens game against the Norfolk Tides. At Cleveland’s Gund Arena, the WNBA game between the host Rockers and the Connecticut Sun was another postponement. Jim Donnelly, president and CEO of the SeaGate Centre in Toledo, said his venue lost power from 4:15 until about 9:30 that night. “We had an emergency generator kick in within 30 seconds,” he said. “We have gas fired chillers so air conditioning didn’t fail. Events were being set up. We sent the office and administrative personnel home early due to all traffic lights out and gridlock occured.” Donnelly reported that work was back to normal the next day. Bob Hunter, senior vice
president and general manager of the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, also was
one of the fortunate ones who had electricity back on Friday. “Fortunately,
we had no events scheduled over the weekend so we survived quite well. Most
entertainment events over the weekend were cancelled though, so many were
impacted. The real test came when everyone returned to work as companies
were focused on keeping the (electrical) demand down.” Southeast Michigan Venues Cope With Nation’s Worst Blackout August 14th was a very warm humid day in Ypsilanti, Michigan, when a mass e-mail alerted all Eastern Michigan University staff to conserve energy. That could have been an omen to the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters event scheduled at the Convocation Center that evening. With details planned for more than a year and perfection expected by the clients, this commencement was a 50th anniversary celebration for the international graduates attracting 5,000 people. One and a half hours into the ceremony, a facility manager’s nightmare occurred--the power went off. With an emergency generator kicking in and bullhorns provided to the speakers, the graduation was completed and the elegant reception continued as planned. With no where else to go, traffic in gridlock and some hotels inaccessible, the reception food became dinner and attendees stayed until the emergency generator required refueling. Attendees left just before dark, allowing them enough time to safely reach their hotels in a darkened city. Providing local and national information to the attendees as it became available reassured them and instilled a sense of calmness. A central information center was established and all other staff performed duties as scheduled.
Palace Sports and Entertainment at the Palace of Auburn Hills books events for DTE Energy Music Theater and Meadow Brook Music Festival. Jeff Corey, director of public relations, said, “Only key personnel were allowed in all venues during the blackout. No shows were cancelled, but they were rescheduled.” The effect of the blackout lasted beyond restoration of lights in the Detroit market. With water pressure and a boil water advisory coupled with instructions to conserve energy (no air conditioning), facilities could not provide a safe environment for patrons through the weekend. Some contracted events were rescheduled or relocated. However, as noted in all affected communities, people cooperatively worked together to accommodate needs. Somehow the worst situations bring out the best in people. Cheryl Swanson, CFE, is director of the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. |
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© 2003
International Association of Assembly Managers |
A factory worker who ran
onto the field during a Los Angeles Dodgers game on May 21 was sentenced to
30 days in jail. Twenty-six-year-old Oscar Villanueva ran toward Dodgers
left fielder Brian Jordan with one hand extended, as if to shake hands,
before Jason Romano ran over from center field to tackle the fan. The
perpetrator was ordered to stay away from the facility for three years and
also barred from going near Jordan. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said the
sentence would “send a strong message that this type of reckless behavior
has no place in our national pastime or at any sporting event.” 
Rhode
Island enacted new fire regulations on July 7, including what state leaders
believe to be the toughest sprinkler requirements in the nation for
nightclubs and other businesses. The new fire-safety laws also include a ban
on pyrotechnics in nightclubs like The Station, where a fire killed 100
people earlier this year at a Great White concert. The West Warwick fire
prompted lawmakers to change state code to create what they said would be
the strictest fire safety rules in the country. Sprinkler requirements would
be phased in over three years. Most other changes become effective February
20, 2004, the one-year anniversary of the deadly fire. The state fire
marshal’s office will be responsible for ensuring the new codes are
enforced, and local inspectors will receive training sessions on the new
codes later this year.
Maybe
Randall Simon just wanted a club sandwich. Whatever, wielding his bat as a
club, the Pittsburgh Pirate first baseman launched the shot heard ‘round the
world on July 9 when he poked his head out of the Pittsburgh dugout between
the sixth and seventh innings during a game at Milwaukee and conked the
racing Italian Sausage mascot in the head, causing her and a hot dog mascot
to both fall. The Sausage race involves four mascots (the Polish Sausage and
Bratwurst are the other two) who race around the field much to the delight
of a cheering crowd. As the foursome neared the Pirate dugout, however,
Simon flicked his lumber at the mascot’s head. Fortunately, both fallen
mascots suffered only some knee scrapes. For his part, Simon was led away in
handcuffs and the incident was replayed all over the networks. The player
was fined $432 for disorderly conduct before being released. Neither mascot
decided to pursue charges against the athlete. Simon was also suspended for
three games and fined $2,000 by major league baseball for his part in the
Brat Brawl.
At least 20
people were killed and 30 seriously injured when two female suicide bombers
blew themselves up at a Moscow rock concert on July 5. The two women blew
themselves up at a ticket booth at the entrance to the outdoor concert at
Tushino airfield in northwestern Moscow after police prevented them from
entering the site. The bombs were packed with at least 500 grams. Interior
Minister Boris Gryzlov blamed the blasts on Chechen separatists fighting to
sever their mainly Muslim republic from the rest of Russia. Concert
organizers said around 40,000 people were attending the popular annual rock
concert at Tushino. Chechen guerrilla loyalists have been linked to six
suicide bombings since December with nearly 190 people killed. Women
Chechens comprised the bulk of a band of rebels that held 800 people hostage
at a Moscow theater for three days last October, resulting in the deaths of
170 people.
An
eight-year-old boy suffered burns on one of his legs when a 21-year-old man
tossed a cherry bomb from the upper deck at the Coliseum in Oakland on July
7 during a game between the Athletics and Tampa Bay. Witnesses saw the man
toss the cherry bomb—a powerful firecracker device—from the third deck to
the first tier of bleachers in left field during the third inning of the
game. The boy was later released from the hospital. Players on the field
turned to look when they heard the sound, including Tampa Bay center fielder
Rocco Baldelli, who said, “I thought a bomb went off it was so loud.” Added
Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella: “That was a shame. I saw the kid fall down
in the left-field bleachers. It startled everybody.” An earlier incident at
the Coliseum involved a fan who threw a cell phone from the second deck at
Texas Rangers outfielder Carl Everett. The perpetrator arrested for throwing
the phone was intoxicated. Security was heightened for the following day’s
game. Staffing was increased and a uniformed police officer was stationed at
the visitor’s bullpen. An in-house video monitoring system was also used to
monitor the right-field area at the stadium. Another incident in April
involved a fan who nearly bit off a police officer’s pinkie finger when the
officer tried to help Coliseum security break up an argument between fans.
In response to the recent fan violence, a bar at the Coliseum was forced to
stop serving drinks after the seventh inning of Athletics’ games. The West
Side Club now follows the same alcohol restrictions already in place in the
stands.
During their Summer
Tour 2003, Alpha & Omega Mounted Patrol riders and horses collectively
traveled 150,000 miles to protect music lovers nationwide. A&O’s concert
division is made up of elite riders and highly trained horses from across
the nation. The Summer Tour 2003 included the hugely successful Bonnaroo
Music Festival in Tennessee, several Phish concerts including the IT camping
and music festival in Maine, and the Berkfest Music and Camping Festival in
Massachusetts. Troopers provided parking assistance, crowd management and
rules enforcement.
Look out below! Before
Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake even had a chance to hit the stage
for their concert on August 9 at the Boardwalk Hall at Trump Plaza in
Atlantic City, NJ, chaos ensued when a 50,000-pound grid and an attached
false ceiling buckled and spiraled downward before collapsing entirely. The
incident happened at about 12:45 p.m. the day of the concert as 30 people
were working below the 100-by-100 foot grid and lowering it so workers could
attach sound and lighting equipment to it. None of the 30 were injured,
although three stagehands were slightly hurt. It was not immediately known
what caused the collapse, and neither performer was in the facility at the
time of the accident.
The
power blackout that paralyzed a large part of the United States and portions
of Canada on August 14 forced the postponement of several sporting events.
Most notably, the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets had their game at
Shea Stadium in the borough of Queens called one hour before the first pitch
was to be thrown.
In Detroit, Ford
Field was the site of a Ford Motor racing event collaborating with NASCAR
showcasing drivers and cars on that August 14 afternoon. “Although the
emergency generator provided lights, we were unable to communicate with
emergency personnel with either cell phones or land lines,” said Joan
LeMahieu, general manager of Ford Field. “We were completely isolated from a
communication standpoint, so the decision was made to evacuate the
building.”