Crowd Controller flashcards
Crowd Controller · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Crowd density threshold
- At 4-5 persons per square metre movement becomes restricted; above 6-7 persons per square metre crowd turbulence and crushing risk rise sharply, requiring immediate density reduction.
- Deindividuation
- A psychological state in which individuals in a crowd lose self-awareness and personal accountability, increasing the likelihood of impulsive or antisocial behaviour; visible staff presence can counteract it.
- Risk assessment formula
- Risk = Likelihood × Consequence. Controls should be prioritised for risks with the highest combined score, and reassessed after controls are implemented.
- Proportionality in use of force
- Force used must be no more than reasonably necessary to prevent harm or achieve a lawful purpose, and must be discontinued once the threat has ended.
- De-escalation ladder
- A graduated response sequence: presence, verbal communication, gestures, and physical intervention. Staff should use the lowest level necessary and escalate only when required.
- Positional asphyxia
- A fatal condition caused by restricted breathing when a person is restrained in a position that compresses the chest or airway; monitor breathing and consciousness continuously during restraint.
- Evacuation assembly point
- A pre-designated safe location where evacuees gather for roll call and further instructions; it must be communicated to all staff and patrons during briefings.
- DRABC
- Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation: a first-aid assessment sequence used before providing care and calling emergency services.
- Duty of care
- A legal and ethical obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm to patrons, colleagues, and oneself while on duty.
- Incident report elements
- Who, what, when, where, why, how, actions taken, witnesses, and outcome, written in objective, factual language without opinion or speculation.
- Radio call signs
- Pre-assigned identifiers used during radio communication to identify the caller and receiver; they should be brief, consistent, and tested during pre-event briefings.
- Serpentine queue
- A queue layout that zigzags to use space efficiently and increase queue length within a given area, improving monitoring and reducing perceived waiting time.
- Metering
- Controlling the rate of entry at gates to prevent density build-up inside a venue; often implemented as a one-in-one-out policy at capacity.
- Citizen's arrest
- A limited power to detain a person for an indictable offence or breach of peace; crowd controllers must hand over to police promptly and use only necessary force.
- Licence display
- A regulatory requirement in many jurisdictions for crowd controllers to carry or display their licence while on duty and to state their name and licence number upon request.
- Crowd collapse
- A progressive crowd disaster where density and pressure build without a single panic event, causing individuals to fall and creating a crushing cascade.
- Social proof
- A psychological phenomenon where people look to others for behavioural cues; calm, confident staff behaviour can stabilise a crowd during uncertainty.
- Net usable area
- The floor area available for patrons after subtracting fixed structures, stages, and bar zones; capacity calculations must use net, not gross, area.
- Egress width
- The minimum width of emergency exits, typically 1 metre per 100 persons under many codes, though local codes vary and must be checked.
- Throughput
- The number of persons passing a point per minute, calculated as width × density × walking speed; bottlenecks sharply reduce throughput.
- Zoning
- Dividing a venue into sectors with separate entry and exit points to limit crowd movement and localise incidents for faster response.
- Baseline behaviour
- The normal pattern of crowd activity observed at the start of a shift; deviations from this baseline are early indicators of potential incidents.
- Chain of custody
- The documented chronological record of evidence handling, including who collected, transferred, and stored it, to preserve its integrity for legal purposes.
- Verbal de-escalation
- Techniques including speaking calmly, using the person's name, acknowledging feelings, offering choices, and maintaining a safe distance of at least 1-2 metres.
- Use of force continuum
- A graduated scale of response options from officer presence and verbal commands through empty-hand control and less-lethal weapons to lethal force, each requiring justification.
- Incident controller
- The designated person authorised to make operational decisions during an emergency, including authorising evacuation and coordinating with emergency services.
- Bomb threat distance
- A minimum safe evacuation distance of typically 100 metres from a suspicious item, pending police instructions, to reduce blast and fragmentation risk.
- PPE for crowd control
- Personal protective equipment including high-visibility vests, radios, torches, and appropriate footwear to reduce injury risk during crowd management duties.
- Fatigue management
- Rostering practices including breaks and duty rotation to maintain alertness; long shifts impair judgement and increase safety risks.
- Right to refuse unsafe work
- The legal right of workers to refuse tasks posing imminent risk without adequate controls, provided they report the refusal per workplace safety legislation.
- Contemporaneous notes
- Records made at the time or soon after an incident; they carry more evidential weight than later reconstructions and should be factual and objective.
- Accessible queuing
- Separate lanes and viewing areas for people with disabilities, required under disability discrimination laws in many jurisdictions to ensure equitable access.