Front of house staff, emergency protocol???

[strandgsx]

arr an interesting one, this may be better suited to the safety forum but then again its tech chat so moderators no offence will be felt if its moved.

 

I got a call the other day from an old friend who was asking about foh staff protocol in the event of an accident.

 

He asked:

 

"what should be done if say someone, an old lady for example tumbled down the stairs of the raked seating"

 

well.... I said shurely the foh staff would have made way over there and secured space around the injured person and called for assistance, while other staff ushered the audience out of the theatre by another exit (if one was available). (the show had finished).

 

I then asked was the foh manager alerted.

 

The reply was kinda sad, basicly the audience had to fend for themselves helping the injured lady whilst the two foh girls just watched from the doors, and the front of house manager was drinking cocktails in the bar!

 

I was slightly horrified as when I was at college we studied foh protocol and iam shure this is not correct (hmmmm).

 

anyway, what do the rest of you think, what do you have in place at your theatres in the event of such an incident.

 

Thanks

[GridGirl]

Ushers notify the FOH manager if she's not actually in the auditorium, she'll usually then notify the stage manager by radio so we're aware of what's going on. Audience are asked to use alternative exits if need be, and the situation is assessed and if necessary an ambulance is called. The accident book has to be filled in as well. We've had incidents pre-show and on occasion have had to hold the show until the injured person has been moved.

[paulears]

To be honest, the standard of FOH staff at my place is a disgrace - as it is only seasonal, pretty well anybody gets taken on if they are breathing - when we have audience illness, like a heart attack or asthma or any of the other similar things, the usherettes/ushers don't know what to do, and don't panic, just the oppoiste, just shrug shoulders. The FOH manager - panics like mad and runs about like a headless chicken. Sometimes with 1200 people in, you suddenly look around and not one is in the auditorium - they thik their job is selling ice cream, stocking fridges and looking after popcorn. At one show last year, there was obviously a seating ####-up - in the end, me and lx op went and sorted it out. On the way back to the back, one of the ushers asked why we were doing that - we pointed out it wasn't our job, He said "who's is it then?" We both said YOURS - he said he had to collect the tickets?

 

I have decided this year to chill out, and just leave them too it. They simply haven't realised that safety is the most important aspect. I've tried to explain this to the bosses, but they don't understand either

[Andrew C]

I have decided this year to chill out, and just leave them too it. They simply haven't realised that safety is the most important aspect. I've tried to explain this to the bosses, but they don't understand either

Can I call everyones attention to this previous post that sums it up nicely.

[mac.calder]

First thing - both FOH manager and SM should be trained in First Aide. If so, they should know how to deal with a fall. In general, I find there are three types of fall - those who get up straight away, those who are able to partially get up, and need assistance the rest of the way, and those who cannot get up under their own power.

 

The first needs little to no intervention, although I would advise that FOH staff inspect the area after the fall to ensure that it was not due to a raised floor board or other trip hazard, but rather them falling under their own power.

 

The second, your FOH staff should be on the scene fairly quickly, ready to help the faller the rest of the way up and brush them down, asking if they are okay.

 

However! the faller, in this case the lady, must be able to perform the first stages of getting up off the floor (otherwise it falls in the third category). If it falls into the third category, there is a chance that there are injuries more severe than a bruised ego and backside, and it may be necessary to get emergency assistance.

 

Obviously, the FOH Manager needs to be free to be able to deal with issues like this, and the staff should be informed that if anything outside of the norm happens, they are to IMMEDIATLY contact the FOH Manager (outside) or SM (inside).

[Ben Bodsworth]

slighty :)

 

at college we have very little knowledge of what to do in the event of an emergency, we presume (hope!!) that the teacher who is directing the production (and sits in the front row of the audience every night) has a plan of what to do, and who's going to do it, but no one else is ever told, is something ever did (hope to god it wont) happen, then personally think that it would be a shambles!

 

ben

[mac.calder]

Um Hell Yeah.

 

Actually, I don't know how your venue managed to get insured. The three companies I talked to about insurance for a venue within an educational institution INSISTED that "Every member of cast and crew who would be working within the space" (direct quote from the policy the venue ended up using) "undertake an anual induction, detailing, but not limited to, safety within the space, policies and procedures during emergencies, ..." and it goes on for half a page detailing the induction process. It then finished with something along the lines of "failure to comply with these procedures will result in forefiture of claims in cases of emergency>" -> basically, if EVERYONE, from actor to MD to TD had not been inducted and signed an acknowledgement form, then any claims made will be knocked back.

[Ben Bodsworth]

hmmm, a one way conversation (no coffee!) with the head of drama comming up when we get back to college then.......

 

Just out of interest, who would be best to give that training??? The Internal H&S person, or an external person, who has worked in pro theatre?

[Ellis]

In the venues I have worked in, this seems to be a perennial problem.

 

The use of volunteers, part-time or temporary staff and out of work turns FOH seems to lead to the situation that the technical department have a significantly better understanding of a steward's responsibilities when it comes to health and safety.

 

I would go further and say that it is often the case that a member of the technical department should have overall responsibility for the building even though the FOH manager will be more mobile and a more obvious point of contact for someone coming to the main entrance of a theatre.

[Just Some Bloke]

"what should be done if say someone, an old lady for example tumbled down the stairs of the raked seating"

 

What on earth is the job of the Front-of-House staff if it isn't to look after the punters?

 

It's quite simple:

 

Nearest steward immediately goes to help the old lady and assess her situation. If she can't get straight up and carry on, then the FOH Manager is called to make a further assessment. If neither of the above are first aiders (which the FOH Manager certainly should be) then a first aider is called. The FOH Manager assesses the cause of the fall, and either deals with the cause him/herself or calls a technician, if required, to "hit it with a hammer" or take other technical measures as required. Meantime, if other punters are inconvenienced, the other FOH staff deal with that situation, steering people to other aisles/exits.

 

I can't see any controversy in any of that. If it doesn't happen then something is going wrong and needs fixing.

 

Whether the venue is amateur or professional should make no difference: all staff should be trained and, frankly, basic FOH training is .. er... pretty basic and can be pretty much covered in one evening plus a week of shadowing. If people aren't doing their jobs properly then maybe they aren't being managed properly.

 

Let's face it, people, we are all responsible for the safety of everyone who passes through our buildings and that remains the same whatever the venue.

[mac.calder]

Just out of interest, who would be best to give that training??? The Internal H&S person, or an external person, who has worked in pro theatre?

 

My suggestion - Get someone who has worked in pro theatre to run through the risks of the theatre with the H&S person and teachers who will use the space. Then H&S or head of drama or technical manager or whatever documents EVERYTHING and sets into motion a series of procedures for induction and promotion of health and safety.

 

In an "Educational Institution", I would probably suggest the "Head of Drama" inducts the teachers who will use the space and if the school has one, also inducts the 'house' crew.

Teachers are then responsible for the induction, and receiving of confirmation of induction form from 'cast'. In the event of a student run production, Head of Drama inducts the lot.

[platform]

The primary duty of Front of House (FoH) staff is that of customer care. The safety and well being of audience members, visiting artistes and staff is the purpose of employing FoH staff. Much of what follows is a legal requirement and, as such, failure to comply could lead to loss of licence, civil or even criminal proceedings.

The importance of the role and responsibilities of FoH staff within the theatre environment cannot be stressed too highly.

It is the legal duty of all staff to acquaint themselves, and be familiar with, the stipulated theatre Health and Safety regulations. These include the limitations of their duties, position of exits, evacuation procedure, reporting of incidents, first aid procedure, pre-event safety checks and must provide this service with due diligence.

All FoH staff arriving on site will immediately locate the duty manager and sign on for duty before any other action. A clean and tidy personal appearance in corporate clothing is essential. Identification of FoH staff by customers is as essential as creating a good first impression. To this end all staff will wear theatre issue shirts, dark trousers or skirts and black shoes with sensible soles and heels. Platform shoes, heavy boots and sandals are not acceptable for Health and Safety considerations. Customers and visitors will be met at the entrances to the building and greeted in a welcoming manner. Customers should be politely queried as to their ticketing status and requirements and directed in the appropriate manner. Visiting artistes should be welcomed and queried as to their immediate requirements, informing the Duty Manager of their arrival as soon as possible. FoH staff must be able to guide customers to appropriate toilet facilities, First Aid, welfare and refreshment areas as well as facilities for customers with individual needs. Under the instruction of the Duty Manager staff will prepare the theatre at curtain call, and the designated staff will wait at the theatre entrance for latecomers. These will normally be met by those responsible for stewarding the main entrance while other members of staff will attend to duties allocated prior to the event.

All staff will concentrate on their duties and responsibilities while on duty and must understand that they;

a) Must not leave their allocated posts without prior permission.

b) Must not consume, or be under the influence of, drugs including alcohol.

c) Must remain calm and courteous toward all customers and visitors at ALL times.

 

All FoH staff will undergo an induction and instruction session with specific emphasis on Health and Safety. This training will be logged by name, date, trainer, duration and nature of the training.

The phrase due diligence has been added to recent licensing and HSE documentation following law suits claiming a "lack of diligence in the performance of duties". It is vital for staff to be aware that there can be no "sky-larking" or even a casual approach to their allocated duties as this can lead to strong action against the theatre, the management and themselves personally.

 

Staff will be detailed to attend to all exits not secured open during events and FoH staff are therefore allocated to exits, for which they are, at all times, responsible. The first duty of all staff during an emergency evacuation is to control the flow and direction of customers in a safe manner to the appropriate assembly points, with which they must be familiar. Prior to and during events FoH staff are responsible for the maintenance of safe operation of public areas of the theatre. This means keeping access, exit, passageways and gangways clear of any obstruction at all times. This in turn necessitates a high level of good housekeeping with particular attention being given to the accumulation of combustible materials. Under instruction from the Duty Manager, FoH staff will assist emergency services, Fire, Police and Ambulance staff in the operation of their duties by means of direction, crowd control and abide by the instructions of emergency staff. Following any event the FoH staff will remove litter, inspect the seating areas and report any difficulties to the Duty Manager at the same time as signing off duty. No staff will leave the building before signing off.

[Just Some Bloke]

Platform,

 

Have you, by any chance, just cut and pasted your staff briefing document / job description? I only ask because you offer no acknowledgment of this, nor relavent comment and the document, though rather interesting, does not directly answer the OP's question.

 

I always find it good practice when qouting large amounts of another document to acknowledge your source, even if you wrote it yourself, if for no other reason than to put it in context for others.

 

Your comments on the topic in hand would be very interesting.

[GUSTie]

I do work for St Andrews Ambulance Corps and so am in theatres a lot and more often or not the FOH protocol if anything goes wrong goes something like 'on spotting the incident run over there as fast as you can, panic, shout, call for first aid team, get in there way, then pester them for the rest of the evening for information that they can not give out.'

 

possibly a bit of an exaggeration but a lot of places I have worked the FOH team have no clue there protocol is to get us and do what we tell them.

Sometimes with 1200 people in, you suddenly look around and not one is in the auditorium - they think their job is selling ice cream, stocking fridges and looking after popcorn.

with 1200 people do you not need a dedicated First Aid team? in which case dealing with this sort of stuff is there job.

 

Matt

[mac.calder]

Most venues have a minimum staffing level based on audience size, and with that, there is a ratio of people trained in first aid. I have never seen a venue with dedicated first aiders, unless it was hosting an event which involved a lot of people moving - ie things like estedfords.