Enhancing Safety at Disney Parks

There no doubt are those who wish it had come sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, the Disneyland Resort’s new contract with the city of Anaheim to have four paramedics stationed at Disneyland and the new California Adventure theme park is a welcome improvement in safety services.

The slow response time of emergency personnel was a critical component in the aftermath of the fatal accident at Disneyland’s Columbia sailing ship in 1999, in which one tourist was killed and a park worker was badly injured. The subsequent revelations that the response was slow and that Disney workers had cleaned the accident site before investigators arrived fueled reform efforts at Disneyland and contributed to the effort to reform theme-park safety statewide.

Much of the attention on safety has taken place in Sacramento, where industry representatives and consumer advocates have been haggling over the implementation of legislation designed to improve safety. But while the distant discussion takes place on such topics as what accidents to report, parks are open and operating. Someone has to be ready to respond to medical emergencies as they may occur.

At Disneyland, improvements of safety procedures have taken place over a period of time. Immediately after the Columbia accident, the company allowed a full-time police presence at the park after being criticized for emergency response. Last year, officials said they would revise all safety and emergency procedures, including training employees for 911 calls.

The recent opening of the second gate contributed to the urgency of having a better emergency response system on-site. Disneyland and the new theme park now sprawl over a vast area, likely complicating efforts of emergency personnel to get to an accident scene. It makes sense that a larger amount of park territory would lead to a decision to get emergency personnel closer to places they might be needed.

After all the safety shortcomings of the past, the city and the theme-park operator appear to have reached an agreement that is satisfactory. The Anaheim Fire Department, mindful both of the need for quick response at the parks and the imperative of allocating resources across the city, strongly supports the new policy. Making quicker responses possible will provide a better sense of safety for those enjoying the expanded facilities.