OC Fire Marshal launches crowd management program

Just in time for tourist season, the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office has launched a free online crowd control training program for local businesses.

A crowd manager essentially monitors the number of people in an area and delegates emergency plans. Life Safety Codes require one crowd manager for every two-hundred and fifty people.

We’re told a 2003 night club fire, showed the need for effective crowd management. There’s no longer a national free training program, so the town made their own with points for bars and restaurants specific to the area, like weather impacts.

Captain Josh Bunting says, “Keep an eye on the weather because if they fill their outside venues and their inside venues to capacity, and then a thunderstorm pops up, they need to account for that. As the weather changes people will want to go inside and subsequently overcrowd the inside of the establishment.”

For patrons, the Fire Marshal’s Office says if you’re in an establishment that appears to be dangerously over crowded you can always call it in to them at 410 289-8780.