Safety first for Valley concert goers
POINT TOWNSHIP – The recent tragedy in Manchester, England may prompt people to ‘think safety’ before they go to outdoor events and concerts. Point Township Police Chief Josh VanKirk joined WKOK on the On The Mark program to provide some tips.
One the don’ts…don’t constantly look down at your phone, “Having your head up, and scanning, and paying attention to your surroundings before you physically commit your body into a space is a great protection tool that everybody should take up with regular practice.”
Chief VanKirk also says it’s good to know the basics, such as exit locations and knowing a point of cover. He says it’s good to look for anything suspicious, such as a package set down, or anyone not responding to authorities.
Chief VanKirk says while event organizers should have a plan of safety, it’s still tough to find an immediate end of these acts of violence, “The best thing event organizers are doing is taking the known threats we have and the factors we’ve known from past events, and you put into play the best practices. But it’s also important to acknowledge that I don’t think there’s any full proof method that’s going to stop these things from happening all together.”
For further basic safety information, visit ready.gov. You can hear more from Chief Vankirk’s On The Mark interview at WKOK.com. (Matt Catrillo)
Click here for Chief VanKirk’s tip sheet Green-Yellow-Red Card Scan
