Episode 115: The Training Pod

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Phil van Hest and Sean Fox of Rock Force join Danielle and Bryan to tackle a question that many organizations eventually face: where do you start when you're building a crew training program from scratch?

Using a hypothetical production company as a framework, the conversation works through the foundational decisions every training program requires, beginning with logistics and goals and moving quickly into substance. Phil walks through fall protection as a practical example for any crew working at height, explaining the four tiers of the fall pro world, why ANSI standards often offer clearer guidance for entertainment than OSHA in most live event crew training situations, and how PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) should be baked into any program from day one as a living document. The discussion covers training records and certification tracking, lead-to-crew ratios, minimum standards for non-rigging crew, PPE orientation, duty of care, and the hierarchy of controls as a practical framework for teaching people what they are not authorized to do.

Co-host Brian Huneycutt steps in and his question about psychological safety brings the conversation into focus. Phil and Sean make the case that safety culture is the real curriculum underneath all the technical content. Leads need to know their crew by name. New people need permission to say they don't know something. Safety officers need to understand both where their authority starts and where it ends. And every person on a job site needs to understand that in an industry as small and visible as live entertainment, unsafe behavior has ripple effects far beyond the one load-in where it happens.

For anyone starting from zero, Phil's bottom line is clear: PPE training is part of compliance and gets safety onto people's bodies and into their behavior from the start. Pair that with an explicit safety culture message on day one, and you're already ahead of where most companies begin.

Hosts:

Danielle Hernandez (host)

Brian Huneycutt (co-host)

Guests:

Phil van Hest | Senior Director of National Safety, Rock Force

Sean Fox | Rock Force

https://www.rockforce.com/services#safety-heading

Show Notes:

ANSI Z359.1 & Z359.2 (Fall Protection Standards) | https://webstore.ansi.org

ANSI Z490 (Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health and Environmental Training) | https://webstore.ansi.org

https://tsp.esta.org/tsp/index.html

PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) | Search online for PDCA infographic

https://eventsafetyalliance.org/safer-events-series Weather Preparedness

Contact Danielle | podcast@eventsafetyalliance.org

Episode 114: ESA 114 - GCMA's The Service Playbook

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What does it take to turn a safety plan into a positive experience for your attendees? Danielle Hernandez sits down with Thyr Rodrigues, a spectator services veteran whose career spans the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014, the Rio 2016 Olympics, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, and UEFA's Euro 2020 and 2024, to explore The Service Playbook, a new resource from the Global Crowd Management Association (GCMA).

Thyr defines "service" as the intentional, proactive, and engaging use of human and physical resources at the frontline of contact with your audience. It's the bridge between your safety and security plan and the people who need to follow it. The conversation walks through the Playbook's first six chapters, covering headcount planning and service roles (spectator marshals, ushers, pre-information marshals), equipment like umpire chairs and foam hands, operations plans, deployment cards, and the pocket guides that give frontline staff the tools to answer questions on the spot. The discussion also digs into decision points, RAMP analysis, and how service teams function as the eyes and ears of the command room, knowing not just how to help, but who to tell when something goes wrong.

Thyr's framework was built on major sporting events, but as Danielle notes, it's easily scalable and transferable to events of any size and type. With chapters on training and event day preparation still to come, The Service Playbook is well worth a look for anyone thinking about how to set their crowd up for success from the very beginning.

Guests:

Thyr Rodrigues https://www.linkedin.com/in/thyrrodrigues/

Hosts:

Danielle Hernandez (host)

Show Notes:

Global Crowd Management Association (GCMA) | https://thegcma.com/

The Service Playbook | Available at GCMA website, with supporting templates available for GCMA members

Contact Danielle | podcast@eventsafetyalliance.org

It's March Madness! In this episode, hosts Danielle Hernandez and John Badcock explore the logistical and operational complexities of hosting the annual NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. They are joined by Joey Doster (Lenovo Center, NC) and Becca Wilusz (Duke University) to discuss the bidding process, rapid scheduling, security perimeters, broadcast constraints and the challenges of managing massive crews. These highly anticipated and widely viewed events are complicated and complex, with details from towels to hostile vehicle mitigation and our guests are well versed in the nuances of the "dance".

Hosts:

Danielle Hernandez (host)

John Badcock (co-host)

Guests:

Joey Doster | Director of Security and Guest Experience, Lenovo Center

Becca Wilusz | Assistant Director of Athletics for Game Operations, Duke University

Show Notes: Watch March Madness Live on NCAA | NCAA.com

Host Selection & Bidding for Men's and Women's tournaments

Logistical Complexity of arena "Session" flips and rapid turnarounds

Coordinating travel and hospitality for teams, bands, and broadcast crews

Security & Public Safety collaboration with law enforcement

Managing the "Zone X" perimeter outside the venue

The Human Element, staff resilience, and accommodating live mascots

Media & Broadcast coordination and schedule management