The risk analysis of events has not only existed since the pandemic, even if this has particularly brought the medical factor to the fore. Every type of event, whether a small summer party or large-scale events such as a concert, involves risks and can develop into an unforeseen disaster.
A contribution from Marcel Hagens
In the end, however, the number of visitors does not matter if an event occurs that no one expected. At that moment, even one person affected would be one too many. All the more astonishing is what happened on 15 June 2021 in Munich's Allianz Arena, which was hosting around 14,500 football fans at the time of the match between Germany and France.
Even before the start of the match, a paramotor pilot approached the field and escaped death, once without realizing it himself. For at this point, two counterterrorism snipers already had him in their sights and were just waiting for the order to fire. Before it could happen, the commander became aware of the Greenpeace logo and decided to trust that it was indeed an activist of the organization.
Activist approaching...
Seconds later, the 'flying man' escaped another disaster: The wires of a Spydercam, which were mounted above the pitch inside the stadium, rudely slowed down the activist. This resulted in an uncontrolled descent, during which he - fortunately - did not land directly in the audience. Despite everything, he injured a man during his action.
If you look at Footage of the incident at the Allianz Arena, you can see who reaches the activist first after he has landed: contrary to the assumption that he is received by the security staff after you could watch the landing and it was already known that someone was 'approaching', it is players of the German national team who run towards him. They want to help him and are exposed to the potential danger.
Trust is good, clear communication is better
Counterterrorism is a serious matter and yes, the specific measures and tactics may not be revealed to the public. Nevertheless, general communication and information to the public would be useful. We would even argue that it would increase the effectiveness of the measures!
Let's just imagine that the ball the activist dropped on the field is not a normal ball, but a bomb. Or the ball is not filled with air, but with nerve gas or some other chemical agent. How would the situation have turned out then?
Anyone who exceeds a defined limit must bear the consequences. For this to happen, however, this limit must be clearly communicated. Let's simply ask ourselves the following questions:
- Would the man have risked his life if he had known that anything entering the airspace during the course of the football match, i.e. between 17:00 and 22:00, would be considered a hazard by the crisis team and shot down accordingly?
- Would he still have relied on the Greenpeace logo to save his life?
- How and why was the activist able to enter closed airspace in the first place? He was hardly teleported into the stadium - so why wasn't he intercepted early on by the police or the armed forces with a helicopter and led out of the risk area?
- Was the commander's decision understandable? Even if the decision, in this case, proved to be correct - do terrorists now learn, for example, that they should attack in disguise in order to avoid countermeasures?
The past has already shown that a disguise is the least of the problems. Hidden bombs in rescue vehicles on their way to a supposed rescue operation or suicide bombers disguised as police officers are well-documented examples.
Conversely, this means that one must act on any violation of given and communicated rules. No one should rely on the fact that 'good intentions' are recognized and that, for example, one as an activist does not bear any consequences or, as in this case, is not shot down.
Fate can strike at any time, in any place, and in any form. Just as an activist can suddenly 'fall from the sky', we can be caught up in a fire, storm, terrorism or other unforeseen emergency.
Are you prepared for an incident if it occurs in your organization, government, company or event? We at WB Risk Prevention Systems are available to help you prepare. If you want to learn more, please contact us by clicking here.
These situations rarely have a lead time. All possible consequences must therefore be considered from the outset, so that one can react directly in an emergency and keep the consequences low.
