Newest fair attraction: stepped-up security
Deepa Bharath
FAIRGROUNDS -- Anticipating record-breaking crowds this year, Orange
County Fair officials announced Wednesday that they plan to increase
security by more than 10%.
Last year, fair officials posted record numbers that peaked at about
843,000. This year, an expanded concert series and new extreme carnival
rides will draw even more visitors, General Manager Becky Bailey-Findley
said.
“One new feature we have this year is entertainment every night at 8
p.m.,” she said. Until last year, that novelty only took place on
weekends.
The events of Sept. 11 have also motivated fair officials to better
prepare for any eventuality, Bailey-Findley said.
“We’ve found through surveys over the years that people feel safe and
secure when they are in the fairgrounds,” she said. “We want that
continued this year as well.”
The additional staff will be used primarily on special deployment
teams to respond to unforeseen events and for added security at the
latimes.com Theater and Grandstand Arena, said Dave Brokaw, the fair’s
chief of public safety.
This year, 210 security officers will work in three shifts during the
fair, he said. Last year, there were 189. Also, the Orange County
Sheriff’s Department will set up a mobile command center on the grounds
with holding cells for arrestees set up nearby. Several uniformed
officers will also be on foot patrol in teams of two throughout the fair.
Brokaw said Costa Mesa police will also have a strong presence, as
officers will patrol the perimeter of the parking lots, assisting with
parking control during peak periods and helping the Sheriff’s Department
to respond to major incidents, if necessary.
Emergency response drills and exercises have “been very informative”
and have helped them establish contacts with various public safety
agencies, Brokaw said.
More than 11 agencies participated in the Rough and Ready exercise
held May 4 that simulated an explosion and anthrax exposure with mass
injuries.
“Fair staff learned how to coordinate efforts and work more
effectively with other agencies, the importance of communications in a
crisis and how to think on your feet during pressure,” Brokaw said.
“There’s a tremendous advantage in being able to rehearse your role in
mock disaster rather than getting all your training in the throes of the
real thing.”
* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at
(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .
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