Concert venue eyes increased security after Vegas shootings
EAST PROVIDENCE – Bearing in mind the concert shootings that left 59 dead and more than 500 wounded in Las Vegas, promoters for this Saturday’s 25th Annual International Oktoberfest at the new outdoor music venue at Bold Point Park Pavilion in East Providence say they we will be providing extra security staff to check bags at the entrance and making public address safety announcements every hour.
Event organizers are also planning a moment of silence for the victims of the Las Vegas mass shootings.
Close to 5,000 people are expected to attend the
Octoberfest event and organizers are increasing security measures to make sure the event is as safe as possible.
“Public safety is always our first priority,” Michele Maker Palmieri, president of Waterfront Productions LLC, told The Times Tuesday.
Bold Point Park is an open-air seasonal event center with a capacity for 3,500 people. Located off Veteran’s Memorial Parkway on Waterfront Drive next to Tockwotton on the Waterfront, the venue is located directly across the river from India Point Park in Providence with views of upper Narragansett Bay and the Providence and Seekonk Rivers.
Waterfront Productions and partner Live Nation secured final approvals in February for a three-year lease of land at Bold Point Park.
Concerts and festivals for Bold Point Park Pavilion’s inaugural season this summer included the Beach Boys, the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, the Waterfront Reggae Festival, the Blues & BBQ Festival and Oktoberfest, which will be held Saturday from noon to 8 p.m.
The eight-hour Oktoberfest will feature dozens of seasonal, craft, imported and local brews, Autumnal libations, food trucks offering traditional German favorites and festival fare, and Bavarian/American entertainment.
Maker-Palmieri says normal protocol for all events at Bold Point Park Pavilion include scheduling ample city police and fire detail based on attendance numbers; professional security teams executing bag checks and pat-downs at the entrance; staffing all exit points and roaming the venue at all times; and event staff positioned at all emergency exit points.
In addition, the Rhode Island Waterfront management teams are certified “crowd safety managers” through the state Fire Marshal’s Office.
“Through that training we have created tight protocols for emergency situations including weather related evacuations,” Maker-Palmieri said. “It is critical that we communicate the egress points to our guests and we do that through a public PA system during the event.”
Before the Octoberfest event on Saturday, the event team will undergo refresher safety training to ensure they are aware of their surroundings at all times, remain calm and focused during an emergency and point out any suspicious issues to the authorities immediately.
In addition, police and fire first responders have reviewed an extensive traffic study of the surrounding community to alleviate con- gestion and maintain traffic flow, in addition to mapping out multiple routes and approaches to the venue for emergency apparatus.
“Communication between staff, police and fire personnel is key and all are connected throughout the venue by two-way radio and dedicated channels,” Maker-Palmieri said.
Maker-Palmieri hopes people come out on Saturday.
“We live in a society now where you have to be cautious no matter where you go, but we hope people come out to enjoy themselves and they don’t give in to these horrific acts,” she said.