Outdoor and indoor events are often designed to dazzle guests — from elaborate stage designs and lighting to luxurious fabrics, floral backdrops, and seating arrangements. Event planners continually push creative boundaries to impress hosts and attendees.
However, amid the quest for visual perfection, safety considerations are sometimes overlooked. A recent viral video highlighted this danger: a beautifully decorated reception venue suddenly caught fire.
In the clip, the ceiling decorations went up in flames, sending guests into panic. Some tried to fight the blaze with cups and bottles of water.
A voice, believed to be that of the master of ceremonies, was heard urging calm:
“Everybody please move outside, use the nearest exit close to you. Do not push anybody, take it easy.”
In another widely shared video, a birthday celebrant’s sleeve caught fire from a candle on her cake, underscoring how quickly festive moments can turn tragic.
Experts warn that large crowds, poor access control, inadequate fire safety measures, insufficient crowd management, and a lack of on-site medical support can turn public events into disasters.
A journal on Disasters at Mass Gatherings: A Lesson from History stressed these risks, while the World Health Organisation has advised that organisers of mass gatherings must plan extensively and prepare for emergencies.
Fire outbreaks, falls, electrocutions, injuries, stampedes, and even disease transmission are all hazards associated with poorly managed events.
Here are six essential safety tips for planning public gatherings:
Labelled exit and entry doors
Emergencies can happen at any time. The ability to take quick action during such emergencies depends on the availability of safety plans and devices.
Fire extinguishers
Having the appropriate fire extinguisher, be it in your car, house, office, shop, or worship centre, can help to save lives and property from the damaging effects of fire incidents.
Okoloda adds, “Event halls should have working fire extinguishers. There is another safety device it is called a water wheel or water pump. It is also used to put out the fire. This has a pipe, and it is longer, which helps to put out the fire from a distance.”
During a fire incident, after ensuring that the occupants have been moved to safety, all doors and windows should be properly locked. This is to prevent the air coming in from the entrances to continue feeding the fire, thus making it difficult to quench.
It is also important to ensure the fire extinguishers are not expired and the valves are in a proper position.
Handle flammable objects with extra care
The use of candles and fireworks in enclosed gatherings should be handled with extra care. This is because they are flammable when placed, dropped, or carried carelessly.
Also, lighted candles on cakes should be carried with caution. They should not be too close to the next person, clothes, or flammable items.
It is advisable to place candles on metal objects and light fireworks in an outdoor setting.
“If candles are used in the hall, they should not be placed on the floor or on materials that can get burnt easily. Fireworks should be handled by professionals to prevent fire incidents,” Okoloda adds.
Also, remove flammable items from the event venue. For example, petrol and kerosene cans should be kept away from the venue.
Smoke detector/muster point
The National Fire Protection Association states that smoke alarms, when properly installed, play an important role in reducing deaths and injuries from fire, consequently saving lives and property.
It is important to have smoke detectors in halls and venues of public gatherings. This will help sound an alarm at the onset of a smoke.
Muster points should be at a safe distance from the hall or event gathering and they should be clearly labelled.
Proper arrangements
The seating arrangements in public gatherings should encourage free movement for guests. This will prevent unnecessary falls and ensure safe coordination and movement during an emergency.
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This can be possible through proper labelling of signs and directions as well as mechanisms to facilitate compliance.
First aid kits, lifeguards
The American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention recommends emergency kits to anyone, from daily commuters to oversea travellers, wherever they go.
Event hosts are saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the availability of a medical ambulance and first-aid assistance.
Lifeguards are equipped with life-saving skills and should be present at events to effectively handle casualties.
“People should be aware of the safety precautions needed to take in every situation,” the safety consultant states.
Security officers
One can’t go wrong with ensuring the security of the people who will be attending an event. Recently, public gatherings have become targets for various security threats by unknown persons as well as skirmishes between guests and their hosts.
The Owo church attack was a sad case that came to mind. This prompted the former late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, to order the compulsory installation of Closed-Circuit Television devices in all public and private institutions.
Physical security, according to experts, ensures security measures to prevent unauthorised access to unwanted persons and protect lives and property in a particular area.
Hiring a professional security detail or inviting security personnel like members of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, among others, is an advisable way to go.