would facilitate the evacuation of spectators, emergency response plans that contemplate mass evacuation, access control including spectator age verification and contents of large handbags and knapsacks, personnel adequately prepared to organise and control evacuation and of course, compliance with capacity restrictions. In this particular incident however, compliance with existing legislation was most notably lacking. Senior Spanish emergency service officers, most notably in the areas of high tourist presence, ‘dread’ these specific months as over-occupation is the real norm in discos and similar locales, where age controls at entrances is literally nil and alcohol and quite often drug consumption are rampant. It is quite well known that a number of these establishments use the over-crowded conditions as a form of ‘come-on’ to attract yet even more public. The emergency services can only hope that nothing ever happens, as their political superiors give them little or no support in their efforts to enforce the corresponding applicable occupation densities. The event and tragedy This particular concert was by the American DJ Steve Aoki, who attracts public as if he were a top ranking musician or singer. The organiser of the event was a
Madrid-based entertainment promoter with a long history of dubious activities including attempts to re-open the infamous Alcala 20 disco that suffered an 82-death fire in 1983. This promoter is also in debt with the national Social Security system, a situation that (supposedly) should impede contracts with public sector entities such as – in this case – the Madrid municipal government. According to municipal spokespersons, the city police were present to control possible problems with the several thousand youths outside the Arena participating in a new pastime called ‘botellón’, in which hundreds or even thousands of teenagers (and older) form large groups drinking beer and other alcoholic beverages in streets and parks, in reaction to the high costs of drinks in pubs and similar localities. A private security company contracted by the management company had an undetermined number of security guards present to control access to the Arena area, while yet two additional entities, contracted by the organiser, were supposedly responsible for controlling actual access to the interior of the Arena, including age Continued on next page
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