Theme parks' emergency response questioned
By Henry Pierson Curtis and Jerry W. Jackson | Sentinel Staff Writers
Posted July 2, 2005
Walt Disney World and Central Florida's other major theme parks say they are prepared for medical emergencies, with hundreds of paramedics and thousands of other workers trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated heart defibrillators.
But as the recent death of a 4-year-old boy who rode on Epcot's Mission: Space ride illustrates, reality can overwhelm training and preparation in the critical first minutes after an emergency.
It took more than two minutes and the prompting of a 911 dispatcher before two Disney workers, identified in sheriff's records as CPR certified, put their training into action when Daudi Bamuwamye collapsed on the thrill ride, according to a tape of the 911 call.
National training standards call for CPR-certified rescuers to check an unresponsive person for signs of life and immediately begin CPR if a victim isn't breathing.
No one has said swifter action would have saved the boy, and Disney officials said they "believe the response to the incident was handled appropriately."
But the tragedy has focused attention on what theme parks have done to increase their safety in recent years. It also has revived concern on some fronts over why Disney and other large parks are exempt from state ride inspections and do not face government standards for the presence of rescue workers.
"Perhaps this is something we could look at," said state Rep. Sheri McInvale, D-Orlando, who is vice chair of the House tourism committee and a former Disney employee. While she said she is confident that "safety is a top priority for Disney," she and others don't know exactly what the parks do to prepare for emergencies.
Safety awareness
Industry experts say Disney's use of CPR-certified workers and paramedics stationed just minutes away reflects a heightened attention to safety and training at amusement parks nationwide.
"Most of the parks have increased their safety awareness and redoubled efforts in training and staffing in recent years," said James O. Barber, a consultant who spent 30 years as a ride safety inspector in New York.
Disney's theme parks underwent a massive, ongoing safety campaign three years ago.
Analysts say the June 2002 campaign countered negative publicity over the company's handling of a fatal accident in 1998 at Disneyland in California and another serious accident there in 2000.
A Disney World representative said the Orlando resort has more than 500 automated external defibrillators "located strategically throughout Walt Disney World Resort," and more than 3,000 current Disney employees are trained by the company as "designated responders" in the use of heart defibrillators and CPR.
Disney World is now designated as an American Heart Association corporate training center to teach CPR and how to use automatic defibrillators, Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said.
Safety experts said Florida's big parks are concerned about safety because of the impact an accident can have on the company's financial bottom line -- from negative publicity about accidents to lawsuits.
"The major amusement parks [in Florida] are doing their best every single day, I can say that," said John Dodson, a state ride inspector in Ohio, and president of the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials.
Universal Orlando's two parks, for example, have 91automated external defibrillators on site, many located within easy reach of park guests, company spokesman Tom Schroder said. Some are near the Spider-Man attraction, the Beetlejuice show, the Jaws attraction and in many restaurants.
Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and CityWalk entertainment district are served by 130 state certified paramedics and registered nurses, Schroder said, as the most highly trained on-site emergency responders.
"All our security officers, all our boat and bus operators are CPR certified," he said, and must be as part of their employment.
"In addition to that more than half our ride supervisors are CPR certified," voluntarily, along with "hundreds of other park employees -- from ride operators to actors -- are certified. This means there is always someone close by who is trained in CPR."
The company tracks the certification and automatically notifies workers when renewal is required.
SeaWorld also requires all of its security staff and supervisory personnel to be CPR certified, said Van Rice, vice president of park operations and assistant general manager.
"For all of our rides and attraction areas, we make sure we have at least several people CPR certified at all times the parks are open," Rice said. The Discovery Cove swimming attraction has more than 50 lifeguards, also CPR certified.
At least four people were resuscitated with automated defibrillators at SeaWorld in the past five years, Rice said, and the easy-to-use devices are routinely applied to people who pass out.
"It's automatic. When you apply it and monitor the heart rate, it determines if the person is required to be shocked," Rice said.
Training vs. real emergency
But training does not guarantee how people will react when an emergency occurs, according to health-care experts.
"When we teach CPR to bystanders, we tell them to initiate CPR as soon as they recognize that there is an emergency and somebody needs help," said Barbara Caracci of the National Safety Council. "Until you're in a situation, you don't how you're going to respond."
Sometimes people freeze or forget, she said
"People take this training in good faith or because their employer says you're going to take it and they really want to help," Caracci said. "But who knows how you're going to respond in an emergency?"
Disney workers thought Daudi Bamuwamye had fainted on Mission: Space when his mother carried the 4-year-old's limp body off the thrill ride on June 13, according to a recording of the 911 call for medical help.
"It's a young boy. He passed out, apparently in the capsule at Mission: Space," a ride supervisor told the 911 dispatcher.
The Disney workers, Alejandro Barroso, 20, and Scott Clark, 33, started CPR after being instructed to begin by an unidentified 911 dispatcher who took the telephone call. Barroso and Clark declined to comment through their families when contacted by the Orlando Sentinel.
Paramedics from the Reedy Creek Fire Department, Disney's municipal entity, arrived 41/2 minutes after the 3:38 p.m. call for help, records show.
Daudi was pronounced dead shortly before 5 p.m. at Celebration Hospital. Disney security reported his death to the Sheriff's Office at 5:43 p.m., records show.
The cause of the youngster's death has not been determined. The determination awaits the results of autopsy tests that may not be ready until September, according to the Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner's Office.
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at 407-420-5257 or hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com.Jerry W. Jackson can be reached at 407-420-5721 or jwjackson@orlandosentinel.com. Willoughby Mariano of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
By Henry Pierson Curtis and Jerry W. Jackson | Sentinel Staff Writers
Posted July 2, 2005
Walt Disney World and Central Florida's other major theme parks say they are prepared for medical emergencies, with hundreds of paramedics and thousands of other workers trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated heart defibrillators.
But as the recent death of a 4-year-old boy who rode on Epcot's Mission: Space ride illustrates, reality can overwhelm training and preparation in the critical first minutes after an emergency.
It took more than two minutes and the prompting of a 911 dispatcher before two Disney workers, identified in sheriff's records as CPR certified, put their training into action when Daudi Bamuwamye collapsed on the thrill ride, according to a tape of the 911 call.
National training standards call for CPR-certified rescuers to check an unresponsive person for signs of life and immediately begin CPR if a victim isn't breathing.
No one has said swifter action would have saved the boy, and Disney officials said they "believe the response to the incident was handled appropriately."
But the tragedy has focused attention on what theme parks have done to increase their safety in recent years. It also has revived concern on some fronts over why Disney and other large parks are exempt from state ride inspections and do not face government standards for the presence of rescue workers.
"Perhaps this is something we could look at," said state Rep. Sheri McInvale, D-Orlando, who is vice chair of the House tourism committee and a former Disney employee. While she said she is confident that "safety is a top priority for Disney," she and others don't know exactly what the parks do to prepare for emergencies.
Safety awareness
Industry experts say Disney's use of CPR-certified workers and paramedics stationed just minutes away reflects a heightened attention to safety and training at amusement parks nationwide.
"Most of the parks have increased their safety awareness and redoubled efforts in training and staffing in recent years," said James O. Barber, a consultant who spent 30 years as a ride safety inspector in New York.
Disney's theme parks underwent a massive, ongoing safety campaign three years ago.
Analysts say the June 2002 campaign countered negative publicity over the company's handling of a fatal accident in 1998 at Disneyland in California and another serious accident there in 2000.
A Disney World representative said the Orlando resort has more than 500 automated external defibrillators "located strategically throughout Walt Disney World Resort," and more than 3,000 current Disney employees are trained by the company as "designated responders" in the use of heart defibrillators and CPR.
Disney World is now designated as an American Heart Association corporate training center to teach CPR and how to use automatic defibrillators, Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said.
Safety experts said Florida's big parks are concerned about safety because of the impact an accident can have on the company's financial bottom line -- from negative publicity about accidents to lawsuits.
"The major amusement parks [in Florida] are doing their best every single day, I can say that," said John Dodson, a state ride inspector in Ohio, and president of the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials.
Universal Orlando's two parks, for example, have 91automated external defibrillators on site, many located within easy reach of park guests, company spokesman Tom Schroder said. Some are near the Spider-Man attraction, the Beetlejuice show, the Jaws attraction and in many restaurants.
Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and CityWalk entertainment district are served by 130 state certified paramedics and registered nurses, Schroder said, as the most highly trained on-site emergency responders.
"All our security officers, all our boat and bus operators are CPR certified," he said, and must be as part of their employment.
"In addition to that more than half our ride supervisors are CPR certified," voluntarily, along with "hundreds of other park employees -- from ride operators to actors -- are certified. This means there is always someone close by who is trained in CPR."
The company tracks the certification and automatically notifies workers when renewal is required.
SeaWorld also requires all of its security staff and supervisory personnel to be CPR certified, said Van Rice, vice president of park operations and assistant general manager.
"For all of our rides and attraction areas, we make sure we have at least several people CPR certified at all times the parks are open," Rice said. The Discovery Cove swimming attraction has more than 50 lifeguards, also CPR certified.
At least four people were resuscitated with automated defibrillators at SeaWorld in the past five years, Rice said, and the easy-to-use devices are routinely applied to people who pass out.
"It's automatic. When you apply it and monitor the heart rate, it determines if the person is required to be shocked," Rice said.
Training vs. real emergency
But training does not guarantee how people will react when an emergency occurs, according to health-care experts.
"When we teach CPR to bystanders, we tell them to initiate CPR as soon as they recognize that there is an emergency and somebody needs help," said Barbara Caracci of the National Safety Council. "Until you're in a situation, you don't how you're going to respond."
Sometimes people freeze or forget, she said
"People take this training in good faith or because their employer says you're going to take it and they really want to help," Caracci said. "But who knows how you're going to respond in an emergency?"
Disney workers thought Daudi Bamuwamye had fainted on Mission: Space when his mother carried the 4-year-old's limp body off the thrill ride on June 13, according to a recording of the 911 call for medical help.
"It's a young boy. He passed out, apparently in the capsule at Mission: Space," a ride supervisor told the 911 dispatcher.
The Disney workers, Alejandro Barroso, 20, and Scott Clark, 33, started CPR after being instructed to begin by an unidentified 911 dispatcher who took the telephone call. Barroso and Clark declined to comment through their families when contacted by the Orlando Sentinel.
Paramedics from the Reedy Creek Fire Department, Disney's municipal entity, arrived 41/2 minutes after the 3:38 p.m. call for help, records show.
Daudi was pronounced dead shortly before 5 p.m. at Celebration Hospital. Disney security reported his death to the Sheriff's Office at 5:43 p.m., records show.
The cause of the youngster's death has not been determined. The determination awaits the results of autopsy tests that may not be ready until September, according to the Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner's Office.
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at 407-420-5257 or hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com.Jerry W. Jackson can be reached at 407-420-5721 or jwjackson@orlandosentinel.com. Willoughby Mariano of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
