Safety top of mind following deadly accident at Ohio State Fair

The midway at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede is well underway and staff are keeping an extra close eye on all of the moving parts.

Bob Hauser, owner of West Coast Amusements, knows how quickly the carnival can seemingly roll into town.

Some rides stand more than 100 feet tall and have a lot of moving parts.

He said safety is never far from anyone’s mind.

“When we come to town, I mean, we get these rides up, safe and sound, in an orderly fashion,” he said. “They do a lot of safety checks as this stuff’s going up. Our equipment gets taken apart and put together every week.”

His staff spend months training to properly operate a specific ride.

Inspections happen regularly, and last anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours, depending on the mechanics. Each inspection is recorded, paperwork Hauser sees every morning.

Hauser says the incident involving the Fire Ball in Ohio is a worst case scenario many here don’t want to think about.

“For our guys, I mean, they’ve got a lot of work on their plate when they get to town,” Hauser said. “Not only do they have to set up, they’ve got to make sure everything is cleaned up, make sure it’s safe, make sure all the safety harnesses are in place and just a lot of checking.”

The Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede midway hosts a ride named Fire Ball, though it’s not the same ride as the one at the Ohio State Fair or at K-Days.

The ride here is a looped coaster track, known for hanging thrill seekers upside down. It’s also referred to as the Ring of Fire.

by Ashley Wiebe

Safety top of mind following deadly accident at Ohio State Fair

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