What comes of this will likely be more legislation, monitoring for compliance, and a fallout from the industry of those companies and individuals that can’t or won’t take the steps necessary to provide quality structures and manage them safely.
At present, there are investigations into the companies that manufacture, rent and erect the structures to see if they have been using best practices. There are investigations into the event management companies to see who’s contracts dictated compliance with whatever standard or building code, if any, that was applicable. There are reviews of the emergency preparedness plans utilized by the event managers as well. Each of these investigations are subject to local laws and rules that were in effect at the time of the incident. Rules from other cities, states, and countries generally do not apply unless specifically referenced by local rule makers.
What is to come of this? A mess, if we’re not careful. Now is the time for standards organizations to actively inject themselves into the local politics so that a common and uniform set of real information is conveyed to the legislators. If left to figure it out on their own, or if unduly influenced by special interest groups outside of the industry, we may well see unrealistic rules set down under which we will have to operate. It sometimes seems difficult enough to work with the rules we know and understand, so imagine a whole new layer of entanglement.
What can you do? Start with getting involved by understanding the codes and standards. Join a trade group that you feel truly represents your interests. These organizations provide a solidarity and uniform front of information on your behalf, and the people working there are much more likely to understand the challenges before us than a bunch of overzealous lawyers and concertgoers. Step up and pay your dues. These organizations need funding to fight the battle that is about to happen.
Additionally, invest in staff education and training so that they are equipped with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions. Buy the books, read them, understand them, know them.
As the telephone company ad in the 1970s used to read: “Communication is the beginning of understanding.” Another area of work that will need help is communicating in absolute terms the limits under which portable structures can be used. This is fairly well-defined in terms of static and dynamic loading, the tonnage of lights, sound, and video, as the structures are engineered before they get to the site. If the equipment to be loaded onto the structure exceeds the predefined limit, then it doesn’t go up. For items like wind and sun shades, rain canopies, advertising banners and video screens/walls, the total allowable area (square footage / square meters) must be predefined as well. Exceed it, and it doesn’t go up.
The weather may or may not be predictable. It is difficult to clearly lay out, but an attempt must be made to set specific objective criteria under which the canopy structures will be lowered and the stage, lighting towers, sound towers, and other components will be secured, and personnel will leave the stage. The areas around the stages must be cleared, too, as there must be a clear crash zone defined, should the structure twist, tilt, skew, collapse, or topple. This takes time, and reasonable warning must be given if it is going to be effective. This must be clearly stated in the contracts so that the production companies won’t be persecuted by the promoters for throwing a damper on their money-making festival. Repeat the mantra: “It’s not my fault, it is the known weather conditions.”
These standards will have to include a means of authoritatively monitoring the wind, rain, hail, and lighting strikes in the vicinity of the event. The monitoring system may be from a local weather reporting source; however, where events are held in secluded valleys or locations where the fixed weather radar stations cannot “see” the immediate area around the event, then there must also be a portable weather monitoring station erected that can provide that insight. Another reason for requiring local weather stations be brought in is that data from remote or regional sources might be delayed, distorted, or the communication link severed. We have the technology. Let’s see that it is used effectively.
Lowering the canopy? Not so easy as the way many are built today. Many of the common stage systems are built around a system where there are vertical towers and then a surrounding assembly that travels up and down the tower frame to raise and lower the roof frame (and much of what is hung on it, too). To make the canopy frames more resistant to side loads from wind, the builders install diagonal cross-bracing on the sides and upstage walls. The cross bracing may be cables in tension, rods, or sometimes additional truss sections. The problem that arises when these diagonal attachments are in place is that they can prevent the canopy roof from being lowered. This may be okay for indoor shows where wind is not a factor, but for outdoor shows, the canopy must be capable of being lowered in the event of an emergency. Stage truss manufacturers will have to develop a solution that addresses this issue.
There is currently a call to re-evaluate the wind-loading capacity and other aspects of the structures used for outdoor events. Now is your time to participate in that effort. PLASA has the floor open until Oct. 11, 2011 to provide commentary on the revision of the E1.21-2006 – Temporary Ground-Supported Overhead Structures Used To Cover Stage Areas and Support Equipment in the Production of Outdoor Entertainment Events. Go to http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php for more information.
Weather is. It is not an excuse. It is not unexpected. It is a serious force to be reckoned with.
Erich Friend is a theatre consultant at Teqniqal Systems in Fort Worth, TX with 35 years of production industry experience involving facility assessment, planning, design on venues in five countries. He is involved with safety consulting and also designs sound, lighting, and rigging systems. His blogging contributions can be seen at www.theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com and www.theatreface.com/erichfriend.
