Funfair Emergency Planning & Crisis Management

Hosting an event with fairground rides, funfair side stalls and similar attractions is an exciting way to entertain guests, but it's crucial to be prepared for any emergencies or crises that may arise. Effective crisis management and emergency planning ensure the safety of all participants and can significantly mitigate risks. Follow our step-by-step guide to prepare and manage potential emergencies at your event.

Establish a Comprehensive Emergency Plan

1. Risk Assessment: Begin with a thorough risk assessment of the entire event, including rides, attractions, and general event operations. Identify potential hazards, such as equipment failure, adverse weather conditions, fire, or medical emergencies.

2. Emergency Response Team: Assemble an emergency response team responsible for executing the emergency plan. This team should include members with first aid training, as well as individuals knowledgeable about the rides and technical equipment.

3. Communication Plan: Develop a clear communication plan for emergencies, including internal communication among event staff and communication with emergency services. Ensure you have a reliable method of mass communication with attendees in the event of an evacuation or other urgent situation.

4. Evacuation Routes and Assembly Points: Clearly define and mark evacuation routes and assembly points. These should be communicated to all event staff and indicated throughout the event site.

5. Emergency Services Coordination: Coordinate with local emergency services (police, fire brigade, medical services) prior to the event to ensure they are aware of the event and can provide rapid response if needed. Consider having medical personnel on-site for larger events.

6. Weather Monitoring: Implement a system for monitoring weather conditions, especially for outdoor events. Have a plan in place for severe weather conditions that may require delaying, pausing, or evacuating the event.

During the Event

1. Briefing Staff: Ensure all staff members are thoroughly briefed on the emergency plan, including their specific roles during a crisis. Conduct drills if possible, especially for critical procedures like evacuation.

2. Monitoring and Vigilance: Keep a continuous watch over the event operations, including the performance of funfair rides and attractions, crowd dynamics, and weather conditions. Early detection of issues can prevent escalations.

3. Accessible First Aid: Maintain easily accessible first aid stations and ensure that all emergency response team members are easily identifiable to attendees needing assistance.

In Case of an Emergency

1. Immediate Response: Follow the pre-defined emergency plan, focusing on the immediate safety and well-being of all attendees. The emergency response team should take charge, executing evacuation procedures if necessary and coordinating with external emergency services.

2. Clear Communication: Use the established communication channels to inform attendees of the situation and guide them on the necessary actions, avoiding panic and confusion.

3. Post-Emergency Review: After managing the emergency, conduct a thorough review of the incident, the effectiveness of the emergency response, and areas for improvement. Gather feedback from staff, participants, and emergency services.

Preparation is the key to effectively managing crises and emergencies at events featuring and . By establishing detailed emergency plans and ensuring all staff are well-informed of their roles, you can protect the safety of your guests and ensure your event remains a positive experience.

For more information on safety protocols and event planning services, visit our fairground safety FAQs!

Connect Your Emergency Plan to the Rest of the Event

Emergency planning should not sit separately from the rest of a funfair plan. Decisions made about ride positions, pedestrian routes, barriers, queues, weather and accessibility can all affect how effectively an event responds if circumstances change.

For a broader look at the safety considerations surrounding visitors throughout an event, How to Ensure the Safety of Your Guests at Your Funfair is useful supporting guidance.

Start with the Physical Layout of the Funfair

The location of rides and other equipment can influence pedestrian movement and access around a venue. This makes layout planning relevant to emergency preparedness as well as the normal visitor experience.

How to Place Funfair Rides Around the Site looks at positioning attractions within the wider venue. Organisers using temporary barriers can also read How to Use Crowd Barrier Fencing at Events for related information about pedestrian management and event organisation.

Keep Emergency Planning Connected to Risk Assessment

A risk assessment and an emergency plan perform different functions, but they should inform one another. Identifying foreseeable hazards can help organisers consider the situations for which appropriate arrangements may be required.

How to Perform a Funfair Ride Risk Assessment provides further guidance on assessing the event, equipment, environment and people involved.

Plan for Weather-related Changes

Not every disruption at a funfair begins with a problem involving a ride. Wind, heavy rain and other adverse conditions can alter the event environment and may require operational decisions before a situation becomes more serious.

How to Prepare Funfairs for Adverse Weather looks at broader weather planning, while How to Keep Funfair Rides Safe in Windy Conditions focuses specifically on wind and amusement equipment.

Understand the Difference Between a Ride Stop and an Emergency

An attraction stopping does not automatically mean that a crisis is taking place. Funfair rides can stop for operational, environmental or technical reasons, including situations where stopping is an appropriate precaution.

What Causes a Funfair Ride to Stop? explains these circumstances in more detail. This distinction can help organisers avoid treating every interruption in the same way while still responding appropriately when an actual emergency develops.

Consider Crowds and Queues in Your Planning

Visitors may be concentrated around popular attractions when an incident or operational change occurs. Queue planning is therefore connected with the wider management of people at an event.

How to Manage Queues at Funfairs provides further guidance on organising waiting areas. Where suitable, queue busters and waiting area games can also form part of a wider approach to managing the visitor experience during normal operation.

Emergency Arrangements Need to Include Different Visitors

People may receive information, move around a venue or require assistance in different ways. Accessibility should therefore be considered when developing emergency arrangements rather than added as an afterthought.

Disabled Accessibility and Inclusivity at Funfairs & Fairgrounds looks at accessibility throughout the visitor journey, while Funfair Accessibility FAQs answers further questions for organisers and visitors.

Children Require Specific Consideration

Family events can also require planning for situations involving separated children, worried parents or younger visitors who may not understand instructions in the same way as adults.

How to Keep Children Safe at Fairgrounds provides related guidance about supervising and protecting children within the wider fairground environment.

Know Where Ride Safety Guidance Fits In

Emergency planning should also be considered alongside the procedures surrounding the amusement equipment itself. Testing, maintenance and daily checks are preventative parts of the wider safety system rather than substitutes for an event emergency plan.

How Funfair Rides Are Tested for Safety, Funfair Ride Periodic Maintenance and Daily Safety Checks for Funfair Rides provide further reading on these separate areas.

When an Emergency Actually Happens

Planning beforehand and responding during an incident are different subjects. If you are looking specifically for guidance about what visitors and organisers should do once an emergency is taking place, continue to What to Do in a Funfair Emergency.

Visitors should follow instructions from ride operators, event staff and emergency services rather than attempting to intervene with amusement equipment or self-evacuate from a ride.

Build Emergency Planning into the Whole Event

Event Planning and Logistics FAQs provides further information about the practical organisation of events, while Health and Safety FAQs covers additional fairground safety questions.

You can also browse our Guides for related information about risk assessment, weather, accessibility, queues, ride operation and guest safety. If you are planning fairground and funfair hire, contact us to discuss your venue and event requirements.