AUSTIN, Texas — Austin is the Live Music Capital, so the city is no stranger to having big concerts.
In the wake of the Astroworld Music Festival Stampede that killed eight people and injured numerous others in Houston, an Austin Center For Events spokesperson said it's checking its protocols to see if there is room for improvement.
While the city hasn't had a concert tragedy like the Astroworld Festival, there was an event that sparked safety changes for the city a decade ago.
During a 2011 South By Southwest festival event, crowds tore down fences at a free show downtown. Police said no one was seriously hurt, but by the end of 2012, the Austin City Council approved creating the Austin Center for Events (ACE).
That department works with multiple departments like police, fire, EMS and public health. ACE reviews organizers' safety plans, does compliance inspections, provides crowd monitors for large events and approves special event permits.
For large events, the spokesperson said the team works with organizers for months in advance to create the safest environment possible. The department's spokesperson said that even with the preparation, people can still get injured at large events, so it's important for everyone attending to work together to have a safe and fun event.
Austin Center for Events full statement:
“Austin Center for Events (ACE) oversees review, permitting and regulatory approvals for special events under the authority of City Code Chapter 4-20 (Special Events).
"ACE is a multi-agency, multi-department team in the City of Austin which includes dedicated special events representatives from Police, Fire, EMS, Parks, Transportation, Public Health, Resource Recovery and Development Services. Depending on the size and location of the event ACE may also coordinate with partners at Capital Metro, Travis County Sheriff’s Office and the State Historical Preservation. For large events, these regulatory bodies work months in advance with organizers to provide the safest possible environment for events to occur in Austin. ACE reviews event organizer’s site and safety plans in advance of an event to identify and address potential areas of concern and conducts on-site inspections to ensure compliance with applicable codes and statues. In addition, ACE has personnel on-site for the duration of large events to monitor crowd activity and provide timely responses to medical events and public safety issues.
"Even with this amount of preparation and on-site presence of public safety officials, there are a number of factors which can leave event attendees vulnerable to injury. It is important that attendees, promoters, performers, and secondary security work together to ensure a safe experience for everyone. For people attending events, ACE advises people attending events to be aware of the surroundings, maintain distance from others even in a crowd, and make sure know your exit routes at all times."
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