The Event Safety Podcast

What makes a team exceptional, and what keeps it that way? Danielle is joined by co-host Anna Glover and special guest Mark Dakin, a veteran technical director who has led production teams at the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House and now works with TAIT, to talk about building teams that deliver extraordinary work safely.
Combining theory, philosophy and practice, the conversation explores the balance of scientists and artists in a team, and why curiosity and continuous development matter.
Show Notes:
Creativity, Inc. | Ed Catmull
Our Iceberg Is Melting | John Kotter
The Fearless Organization | Amy Edmondson
Teaming | Amy Edmondson
TAIT | https://www.taittowers.com/
Contact Danielle | podcast@eventsafetyalliance.org
Guests:
Mark Dakin | LinkedIn
Hosts:
Danielle Hernandez (host)
Anna Glover (co-host)

What does it actually take to stop a show? Danielle is joined by Steve Allen, Mark Hamilton, and Bryan Huneycutt to talk about Showstop® Procedure, the accredited course developed with the Pink Bows Foundation after the devastating Astroworld tragedy.
The conversation traces the development of the show stops from the 1990s to today and explains how a show stop is an emergency intervention which protects life safety when properly trained, prepared show stop managers react efficiently to situations which develop during an event. These subject matter experts were able to share insights as to risk assessments, triggers, and decision making in high profile, high stress scenarios.
Show Notes:
Guests:
Steve Allen FdA MIFireE FIIRSM RSP | LinkedIn
Mark Hamilton FdA MA (Dist.) HonD Univ | LinkedIn
Bryan Huneycutt | LinkedIn
Showstop® Procedure Courses | https://www.showstopprocedure.com/showstop-courses/
Pink Bows Foundation | https://pinkbowsfoundation.org
https://pinkbowsfoundation.org/advisory-board/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duty_of_care
https://www.fbi.gov/history/cases-and-criminals/boston-marathon-bombing
https://www.gkstill.com/
Contact Danielle | podcast@eventsafetyalliance.org

Heat continues to be a major life safety concern at events, and we wanted to take the opportunity to advocate and educate about the risks, mitigations and culture change needed to preserve both the activity as well as the health of all participants. Danielle welcomes back Dr. Kevin Kloesel, joined by fellow meteorologist Spencer Adkins, both of whom, among other projects, forecast heat safety for Drum Corps International.
Early-season collegiate and high school football games in the Southeast have already sent hundreds of fans, band members, and staff to first aid for heat, and the tragic death of a college marching band student, in which heat appears to have played a role, has made the risk even more important to highlight.
Wet bulb globe temperature, not heat index, is the metric that correlates with heat illness, and there are specific thresholds are for modifying or stopping activity. From TV-driven midday kickoffs, artificial turf, tailgating, medications, body mass, and acclimatization, many things affect our susceptibility to heat illness. Mitigations can include shade and hydration as well as low-cost cooling like ice tubs, tarp "tacos," and kiddie pools that should start before paramedics arrive. Culture change such as DCI's move to later start times, which grew out of an ESA severe weather workshop, shows what planning ahead looks like and where there are opportunities for increased heat safety.
Show Notes:
https://www.uiltexas.org/health/info/heat-stress-and-athletic-participation
https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat-illness
Zelus WBGT | https://zelusports.com/
Korey Stringer Institute | https://ksi.uconn.edu/
Contact Danielle | podcast@eventsafetyalliance.org
Guests:
Spencer Adkins | LinkedIn Television Meteorologist, West Virginia; Weather Forecaster, Drum Corps International and Bands of America
Kevin Kloesel | LinkedIn Event Safety Meteorologist, Baylor University; Chief Science Officer, Zelus WBGT
Hosts:
Danielle Hernandez (host)

Danielle invites UK crowd safety specialists Eric Stuart and Miriam Stone to discuss the role of steward in the field of crowd management and trace the lines between volunteers, stewards, and licensed security.
Eric lays out a five-tier crowd-management hierarchy -- volunteers, stewards, security, police, military -- with stewards sitting just above volunteers: paid, unlicensed, responsible for wayfinding and soft enforcement. Miriam adds that in the UK anything above steward requires a license and training. The conversation also covers volunteer management, noting that fans of the event rarely no-show while general volunteers need clear expectations and something meaningful in return for their time. The group debates whether stewards should face the crowd outright or monitor at a 45-degree angle, and argues for briefing them to spot behavioral outliers -- heat illness, crowd distress, demographic mismatches.
Guests:
Miriam Stone | Operations Consultant, Arena and Venue Industry
Miriam Stone | LinkedIn
Eric Stuart | Owner and Director, Gentian Events
Eric Stuart QPM | LinkedIn
Hosts: Danielle Hernandez

Tami Richter, ESA's current president, moderates the second commemorative webinar panel, titled "Looking Forward: Education, Collaboration, and the Future of Safer Events." After a moment of silence honoring those lost in 2011, the discussion turns to several active ESA initiatives.

Guests:

Tami Richter, John Badcock, Jessie Sullivan, Bryan Huneycutt, Doug Bruce, Danielle Hernandez

Show Notes:

Event Safety Alliance | https://www.eventsafetyalliance.org

USITT | https://www.usitt.org