Big Disneyland Crowds Raising Safety Concerns

City safety officials are investigating recent visitor complaints about overcrowding at Disneyland as the park experiences a surge in attendance during the final weeks of its Main Street Electrical Parade.

Anaheim Fire Marshal Gary Wilder said Wednesday he has discussed the situation with park officials and has been invited by Disneyland’s private fire department to review crowd safety measures at the theme park.

More than 80,000 people jammed Disneyland last Saturday, a day of near-record attendance that snarled traffic outside the park and created formidable lines inside.

“People have expressed concerns about their safety, particularly when exiting after events like the parade,” Wilder said. “Some have said they feel confined and are concerned about their inability to move.”

Legally, however, Wilder admits there is little that Anaheim safety officials can do to regulate attendance at Disneyland.

In fact none of the state’s major theme parks, including Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Sea World and Universal Studios Hollywood, have legally prescribed occupancy limits. Rather, their attendance ceilings are established internally, based on the size of their parks, guest comfort, parking availability and the guidelines set down by their insurance companies, industry sources say.

Anaheim’s fire code allows the city to establish and enforce occupancy limits for all restaurants, attractions, gift shops and other buildings on the 136-acre property.

However, the code says nothing about capping the number of people allowed to circulate through the outdoor areas of the park. Likewise, city officials could not point to any planning regulations or building codes that would set a maximum parkwide occupancy for Disneyland.

In essence, Disneyland can allow as many visitors as it wants through its gates, as long as the number of people inside individual buildings doesn’t exceed the maximum occupancy established under the fire code, Wilder said.

Disneyland officials say self-regulation has worked well in the past and point to the park’s solid safety record as proof.

“We would never do anything to jeopardize the safety of our guests,” said Disneyland spokesman Tom Brocato.

But the intense crowding and complaints stemming from the onslaught of parade fans at Disneyland has at least one city councilman questioning the city’s hands-off approach.

“This is something that needs to be discussed,” said Councilman Lou Lopez. “We shouldn’t wait for a disaster before we review our policy.”

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Disneyland’s promotional blitz for the farewell season of its Main Street Electrical Parade, which makes its final public run Oct. 15, has sparked nothing short of a sensation among loyal fans.

In a year when other parks have unveiled big-bucks attractions to lure the crowds, Disneyland is on pace to shatter last year’s record attendance of 14.2 million by trotting out a 24-year-old warhorse one last time.

The parade has been a windfall for Orange County’s tourist industry, particularly Anaheim hotels, which have posted sizzling occupancy rates all summer and are booked solid the next two weekends with convention-goers and parade lovers.

But longtime Disneyland fans such as Jim Wiedemann of Eagle Rock say the park’s promotional efforts have proved too successful.

Wiedemann arrived at Disneyland last Saturday intending to stay through the evening to catch the Main Street Electrical Parade. But he said he got so tired of fighting the crowd--the third-largest in park history, as it turned out--that he left by afternoon.

“It was absolutely overwhelming. I’ve never been pushed and jostled like that,” said Wiedemann, who adds he has contacted Disneyland about getting his money back. “Not only was it not fun, it wasn’t safe.”

Wilder said Disneyland officials have been “extremely cooperative” in responding to the city’s inquiries about crowded conditions at the park. Wilder said he will meet with a Disneyland fire and security team as early as this week to go over crowd control procedures, examine emergency exits and the like.

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Although the city technically has no authority to regulate equipment or procedures in Disneyland’s open areas, Wilder said park fire officials typically follow its suggestions.

“Their concerns are the same as ours,” Wilder said. “We’ve found them to be very proactive regarding safety.”

Disneyland’s ability to establish its own maximum attendance is not unique in the theme park industry. Existing fire codes do not set parkwide occupancy limits at any of the state’s major theme parks, including Knott’s Berry Farm, Sea World and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Knott’s executive Don Troudy says practical concerns such as parking and guest comfort have always determined the occupancy limit at the Buena Park tourist attraction.

On Veteran’s Day 1991, for example, Knott’s shut its gates by early afternoon when an overwhelming crush of visitors showed up to take advantage of a promotion granting free admission to veterans and their families.

“It basically comes down to guest service,” Troudy says. “Theoretically, we could cram 50,000 people in here, but we’d never do it. That’s just too many people.”

Maximum occupancy and attendance figures have always been jealously guarded secrets in the theme park industry. But Anaheim’s Lopez says protecting visitors should take precedence.

“We’re talking about public safety here,” Lopez said. “We need to get all this out in the open to find out if safety needs are being met.”