Crowd Management | The use of Steel Barricades in Best Practices

Crowd Control officially got coined a term in the US back in 1930! Did you know that back in the day, crowd management barriers were made of wood? Needless to say, they didn’t stand much of a chance other deterrence if they were put to the challenge by a crowd.

Today with crowd safety being necessarily key to any event or gathering consideration the available tools have to deliver a lot more than those old wooden sawhorses did.  Best crowd management practices now demand products like steel barricades that are interlocking. These steel barricades available today need to have the capacity to contain crowds ranging from 100 to 30,000 and even 80,000 event participants behind the barricades in all venue locations from city parks to stadiums. The interlocking system now offered is key to keeping the barricades in place and preventing participants from getting crushed between the steel barricades.

The interlocking also prevents certain audiences from slipping through the steel barricades and entering the performance area or any other unauthorized area of your venue. These steel barricades make it seem as though there is a solid wall separation and there is no possibility of any transgression whatsoever. Signage on these Barricades in the form of Barrier Jackets gives you far superior messaging and communication abilities with your clientele as well – further ensuring crowd control security and managing crowds safely across the venue.

Today Steel Barricades are made with great care and the raw materials are sent through a lot of intensive procedures before manufacturing the finished product. This is to ensure that the barricades do not give in to any kind of pressure or other adverse external factors, including weather. The quality of the barricades should never be comprised if one wants a safe and secure crowd management mechanism. The aim of the crowd management tool is not only to contain the crowds but also to ensure the safety of each and every individual participating in the event.

Since the steel barriers are strong structures, they indicate a clear marking of separation in the part where they are installed. This is very essential in cases where there is a space limitation and only minimal space is available for performance. The presence of these barriers ensures that the performance space is clearly separated from the spectator’s space. 

The steel barricades have been designed in such a way that they could be used over any landscape whether it is even or rugged. This is achieved by having different kinds of bases to suit multiple terrains. These are the base styles that are available:

1. Bridge Base: This is the best and most widely used base style as it has a strong resistance to huge crowds and it can be used on uneven surfaces.
2. Flat Base: This base is used for pedestrian railings where the crowds are supposed to move in a parallel line to the barricades. 
3. U-Base: It is similar to the bridge base but provides a four point contact with the ground thereby providing additional stability.
4. Wheel Base: These are useful in locations where a mobile barrier has to be used.

The steel barriers originated from the European countries and were eventually used in the United States in the 1950s.  They have been evolving over the years and have become a common sight in events where huge crowds have to be managed. One of the most famous examples of the usage of steel barriers was in New York City at the John F. Kennedy International airport where the Beatles had arrived in 1964. Nowadays variations of the steel barricades are being used in most public events including the popular Olympic Games.

Such popularity and widespread use of steel barricades can be attributed to the fact that they are an excellent solution for crowd management services and they also provide a great deal of safety to the audiences, performers and the security personnel at events.