Over the weekend, the world once more was saddened by two instances where people were killed during community events. In Berlin, a man reportedly drove a van into a crowd at a Pride gathering and allegedly used a machete or other knife to kill one person and injure 29 others. During Bite of Seattle near the Space Needle on Sunday, two or three people reportedly began shooting at each other, resulting in three dead and four people injured.
Such horrible episodes are reminders of how important risk-management plans are, not just for outdoor gatherings, but for all events. Northstar reached out to two security experts for advice on how to keep events and their participants safe.
"These incidents are heartbreaking reminders that community events and public gatherings face evolving threats that can emerge inside an event, along its perimeter or in surrounding public spaces," said Mark Herrera, president and chief security officer for Global Awareness Professionals, a firm offering event-related security training. "They reinforce the same operational lesson: Preparedness cannot stop at the entrance. Security plans must account for the entire event environment, including pedestrian areas, transportation routes, gathering points, parking areas, and the movement of attendees before, during, and after an event."
Alan Kleinfeld of Arrive Event Safety, added that it's always helpful to have extra eyes at your events, especially ones that are outdoors or involve large groups. "Prepare all of your staff, board members, volunteers and other stakeholders with tips on situational awareness and signs for bad actors, intoxication, or scenes that seem out of place or unusual," said the senior director of meetings and safety for the company, which helps organizations assess safety for their events. "Make sure your staff knows emergency procedures and advise them on how and when to seek help or alert you of potential incidents."
Security advice for planners
Both Herrera and Kleinfeld offered suggestions for those in the early stages of arranging events that might need strong risk-management plans.
"First, from a bigger picture standpoint, fight complacency," said Kleinfeld. "Planners need to be proactive rather than reactive. Second, always include safety as part of the planning checklist. It can't be an afterthought. Third, the more safety steps you incorporate during planning, the better prepared you'll be to respond to incidents and mitigate outcomes. Finally, get some expert help on event safety. Don't go it alone."
Herrera added these vital steps:
- Conduct a comprehensive risk assessment that considers firearms, vehicle-ramming attacks, behavioral threats, crowd movement and secondary hazards.
- Establish layered security beyond traditional checkpoints, including vehicle barriers, protected pedestrian zones, perimeter observation and clearly defined access routes.
- Train all personnel — not only security — to recognize behavioral anomalies, communicate concerns quickly, and understand when and how to escalate.
- Create unified communication protocols among event organizers, venue teams, law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel, vendors, and surrounding businesses.
- Plan for crowd movement during an emergency. Panic, conflicting instructions and uncontrolled evacuation can create additional injuries.
- Identify reunification areas, shelter locations, emergency medical access points and redundant communication methods before attendees arrive.
- Conduct scenario-based exercises that test leadership decisions and frontline responses under realistic conditions.
"One of the greatest vulnerabilities at a large gathering is assuming that visible security alone equals preparedness," he said. "Technology, barriers and law enforcement are critical, but they must be supported by engaged employees, informed vendors, clear communication, and leaders empowered to act when something does not look or feel right."
Herrera understands, however, that the soul of the event being created needs to be preserved. "My central message to planners is this: Preparedness is not about creating fear or turning a community celebration into a fortress," he said. "It is about building an environment where people can gather confidently because the entire team understands its role in protecting them."
