Most event staff are trained in the mundane; how to handle common events like medical emergencies or lost children. But what about an active shooter? Should the technician turn the lights on when a sniper is shooting? Perhaps he should throw the room into darkness? Or maybe he should just leave.
A spotlight operator who was working that tragic night in Las Vegas says he had no idea what to do when Stephen Paddock began firing into the crowd. “Nobody knew what to do, where to go,” the worker said. The only instruction he received once the shooting began was to “stay down.”
Current security protocols don’t reach all workers, and that is sure to be re-examined post Las Vegas. But it’s not just event staff that need information; guests and spectators should be educated on what to do in an emergency too. Flight attendants instruct passengers on potential dangers, why shouldn’t the same hold true for concertgoers or sports fans?
We’re all in this together after all.