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Every year, families, thrill seekers, and cotton candy enthusiasts show up in sunburned crowds in the quest for amusement to the tune of about 385 million guests in approximately 400 fixed-site attractions in North America.1
According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), most rides are a pretty safe bet when following the safety protocols, such as meeting the ride’s height and weight restrictions and ruling out preexisting health conditions. The chance of being seriously injured on a fixed-site ride at a U.S. amusement park is 1 in 15.5 million rides taken.2
In fact, you may be more likely to injure yourself before the ride begins, as some excited riders have tripped and strained muscles or chipped teeth when racing to fill the most desired seats. Notorious loose items like hats, sunglasses, shoes, and cell phones also become projectiles at roller coaster speeds, striking unexpecting passengers trailing behind. But the most reported ailments of amusement park riders are headaches, vertigo, and nausea that take a bit of the “fun” out of funnel cake.
Rough rides
Judging by the numbers of screams and squeals heard through the gut-twisting climbs and drops, fear is an undeniable part of the thrill for most park-goers. Generally, that fear fades after the ride comes safely to its end, but for a few unlucky riders, the intended short seconds at a perilous height can stretch into hours awaiting an unexpected rescue, like in the following cases:
• Firefighter crews successfully removed seven passengers from a stuck amusement park ride in Orlando (Florida, USA) in 2019.3
• Several passengers, including small children, were stuck on an amusement park ride for 45 minutes in Staten Island (New York, USA) in 2019.4
• Twelve children were rescued from the top of a malfunctioning roller coaster in Amarillo (Texas, USA) in 2019.5
• A Technical Rescue Team successfully lowered 21 people stuck in a large rotating observation deck disabled at its maximum height in Southern California (USA) in 2016.6
• A crew member disassembling a Ferris wheel was injured and stuck awaiting rescue for 45 minutes from a 40-foot height in St. Louis (Missouri, USA) in May 2024.7
• A mechanical failure led a roller coaster to stop mid-ride, leaving eight people suspended upside down for hours in Wisconsin (USA) in 2023.8
• A roller coaster derailed after striking a fallen tree branch, causing injuries and leaving many of the riders stranded aboard the dangling coaster for about three hours in Los Angeles (California, USA) in 2014.9
Rescue challenges
“Though these incidents are not common, they pose challenges to fire rescue teams, as they can involve multiple victims in need of rescue from an extreme height,” said Gary Galasso, Priority Dispatch Corp.™ Public Safety Specialist, Medical & Fire.
The pressure heats up for fire rescue in these high-profile “ride rescue” situations. Deciding on the right rescue plan can be complicated, with limited points of access and extreme heights that may make the use of aerial ladder equipment difficult or impossible. Some teams may even consider a rescue helicopter as a plausible resource.
Rescue teams may find that most of their tactics and equipment are designed for adults, thus requiring adjustment to safely rescue children. Malfunctioning ride machinery can pose dangerous complications, and hordes of cordoned-off onlookers and filming media add to the intensity of performing tricky maneuvers. For these reasons, some fire and rescue teams are beginning to address training for these types of incidents during the off-season for park attractions.10
Time is undoubtedly an issue for creating a practical plan to reach and secure each rider. The minutes become years while awaiting the comfort of having feet back on the ground in the case of passengers attempting to calm panicking children; when dealing with heart pounding, difficulty breathing, and blurred vision while hanging upside down for extended periods; or for those anxiously dreading a dangling position from a derailed coaster.
Protocol 62: High Angle Rescue
That’s where the Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD) steps in, taking the initial calls of panic and collecting details at the scene for an immediate response. Though EFDs may feel that their role is small in a high-stakes situation, they prove their importance as the first, first responder by relaying accurate information and anticipating needs to prepare responders on their way.
In the Fire Priority Dispatch System™ (FPDS®), the First Law of Technical Rescue states, “The first 10 minutes on scene of a technical rescue often determine how the next few hours will go.”
When dealing with trapped riders at a height where normal access is unavailable or hazardous, the EFD should select Protocol 62: High Angle Rescue, first addressing the Key Question “What type of building/structure/terrain is involved?” and choosing an appropriate Suffix based off the setting of the incident. The terrain is well understood in the case of an amusement park setting (A = Above grade).
“It’s important to specify where and on what kind of terrain/location the incident has happened for responders to start formulating a plan,” said Mike Thompson, International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® Fire Protocol, Academics, and Standards Expert.
Perhaps equally important to that plan is the next Key Question, “What is her/his approximate distance from the bottom/top?” The EFD must rely on a caller’s estimate for this figure, but the answer largely affects the response.
An Axiom on Protocol 62 puts this significance into perspective: “Buildings over 75 feet (23 m) present special problems for the rescue of occupants.” Roller coasters can range in height from 100 to 450 feet. In fact, the world's tallest roller coaster (to date) is “Kingda Ka” at Six Flags Great Adventure Park in Jackson, New Jersey (USA), which stands at 456 feet. It also has a top speed of 128 miles per hour and a drop of 418 feet.11
While roller coasters have an underlying framework, extreme angles and heights can create substantial risk for climbing and
rappelling. Equipment and harnesses can snag, and fatigue can set in while repeating lengthy rescue maneuvers multiple times.12
A paragraph in the Protocol 62 Additional Information section “Technical Evacuation” provides EFDs with the following information about these concerns: “High-angle rope rescue: A rescue situation that involves angles greater than 65 degrees. Rescuers are totally dependent upon the ropes for accessing and exiting the rescue. Since most of the rescuer’s and the victim’s weight is handled by ropes, errors in setting up the rope system could be catastrophic or fatal.”
After addressing rescue height, the EFD should continue questioning to request the number of people in need of rescue, their location, and how many are potentially injured to coordinate with EMS for medical needs.
After sending the appropriate Determinant Code (likely 62-D-1, 3, 4, or 5), the EFD should provide applicable Post-Dispatch Instructions. However, in some amusement park ride cases, instructions may not be applicable for passengers a great distance away, such as “Do not approach or attempt to rescue the person(s),” “Tell the person(s) not to move,” or “Do not touch any equipment that may be suspending the person(s).”
On the off chance that a first-party caller is speaking, the EFD instructs, “If you can safely anchor or secure yourself, go ahead and do so to prevent further injury or falling. Let me know what you did.”
Coordinating resources
Most importantly, the EFD must notify the Technical Rescue Team (TRT) immediately, as the Critical EFD Information dictates, providing responders with any known information about the location and number of people trapped or in danger. Another Axiom reminds the EFD to consider utilizing MUTUAL AID resources, which are likely to be needed in an event of this magnitude and level of coordination.
The EFD can be an invaluable asset in relaying accurate information along communication pathways. Ultimately, the ingenuity, bravery, and tactical knowledge of the fire rescue team must be prepared and supported by the timely, accurate, and resourceful EFD.
Sources
1. “Amusement Ride Safety.” IAAPA: The Global Association for the Attractions Industry. International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). 2024. iaapa.org/safety-security/amusement-ride-safety (accessed June 11, 2024).
2. See note 1.
3. “Orlando firefighters rescue 7 stuck on amusement park ride.” 5WPTV West Palm Beach. Scripps Local Media. 2019; June 16. wptv.com/news/state/orlando-firefighters-rescue-7-stuck-on-amusement-park-ride (accessed June 11, 2024).
4. “Firefighters rescue children from stuck amusement park ride on Staten Island.” Eyewitness News abc7. 2019; Sept. 14. abc7ny.com/staten-island-carnival-amusement-park-bull-head/5540112 (accessed June 11, 2024).
5. Dreier, N. “Fire crews rescue children stuck on roller coaster.” WSB-TV2 Atlanta. Cox Media Group National Content Desk. 2019; May 21. wsbtv.com/news/trending-now/fire-crews-rescue-children-stuck-on-roller-coaster/951138519 (accessed June 11, 2024).
6. Densmore, D. “Amusement Park Rescue.” FIREHOUSE. Endeavor Business Media, LLC. 2017; Dec. 1. firehouse.com/rescue/article/12351685/step-by-step-of-the-knotts-berry-farm-technical-rescue-firefighter-training (accessed June 11, 2024).
7. Stahl, S., First Alert 4 Staff. “Firefighters rescue worker from ferris wheel at Chesterfield carnival.” First Alert 4. Gray Television, Inc. 2024; May 28. firstalert4.com/2024/05/28/firefighters-rescue-worker-ferris-wheel-chesterfield-carnival (accessed June 11, 2024).
8. Bubel, J. “Firefighters rescue passengers stuck upside down for hours on Wisconsin roller coaster.” asTV. Diario AS S.L. 2023; July 6. en.as.com/videos/watch-as-roller-coaster-riders-get-stuck-upside-down-for-hours-in-wisconsin-v/ (accessed June 11, 2024).
9. Welch, W.M. “Tree branch derails Six Flags roller coaster.” USA TODAY. 2014; July 8. usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/07/magic-mountain-accident/12324119 (accessed June 11, 2024).
10. Slayton, J. “Theme park gives rescue trainers a challenge.” Fire Rescue 1. Lexipol. 2012; May 9. firerescue1.com/firefighter-training/articles/theme-park-gives-rescue-trainers-a-challenge-8GVZUHd3LaW4lzYs/ (accessed June 11, 2024).
11. “Roller coasters in the United States ranked by height as of May 2024 (in feet).” Statista. Statista Research Department. 2024; May 16. statista.com/statistics/258923/roller-coasters-in-the-us-ranked-by-height/#:~:text=Roller%20coasters%20ranked%20by%20height,%2D (accessed June 11, 2024).
12. See note 6.
