Newest fair attraction: stepped-up security

Deepa Bharath

FAIRGROUNDS -- Anticipating record-breaking crowds this year, Orange

County Fair officials announced Wednesday that they plan to increase

security by more than 10%.

Last year, fair officials posted record numbers that peaked at about

843,000. This year, an expanded concert series and new extreme carnival

rides will draw even more visitors, General Manager Becky Bailey-Findley

said.

“One new feature we have this year is entertainment every night at 8

p.m.,” she said. Until last year, that novelty only took place on

weekends.

The events of Sept. 11 have also motivated fair officials to better

prepare for any eventuality, Bailey-Findley said.

“We’ve found through surveys over the years that people feel safe and

secure when they are in the fairgrounds,” she said. “We want that

continued this year as well.”

The additional staff will be used primarily on special deployment

teams to respond to unforeseen events and for added security at the

latimes.com Theater and Grandstand Arena, said Dave Brokaw, the fair’s

chief of public safety.

This year, 210 security officers will work in three shifts during the

fair, he said. Last year, there were 189. Also, the Orange County

Sheriff’s Department will set up a mobile command center on the grounds

with holding cells for arrestees set up nearby. Several uniformed

officers will also be on foot patrol in teams of two throughout the fair.

Brokaw said Costa Mesa police will also have a strong presence, as

officers will patrol the perimeter of the parking lots, assisting with

parking control during peak periods and helping the Sheriff’s Department

to respond to major incidents, if necessary.

Emergency response drills and exercises have “been very informative”

and have helped them establish contacts with various public safety

agencies, Brokaw said.

More than 11 agencies participated in the Rough and Ready exercise

held May 4 that simulated an explosion and anthrax exposure with mass

injuries.

“Fair staff learned how to coordinate efforts and work more

effectively with other agencies, the importance of communications in a

crisis and how to think on your feet during pressure,” Brokaw said.

“There’s a tremendous advantage in being able to rehearse your role in

mock disaster rather than getting all your training in the throes of the

real thing.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .