Anyone attending the recent activities at the Fairgrounds was probably surprised that 50% of the access to the facility was closed by the blockage of the east fairgrounds road.
I wonder if elected city and/or county officials were notified of this. What about the Police, Fire Department and Hospital?
Did the person who closed the road think about 2000 to 3000 people trying to leave in the event of a catastrophic event?
What if you were trying to get a loved one to the hospital or trying to get an ambulance to the fairgrounds and there was an accident on the only road in and out.
In addition to the road being closed, the loop in and out of the parking directly in front of the event center had panels installed which generally prevented more than one vehicle access at a time.
Time is critical in any fire or medical situation and to have one access closed is beyond reason and common sense particularly when this large of a crowd is involved and includes vehicles pulling trailers.
I can assure all public figures that an ambulance chasing attorney will include everyone individually in their lawsuit in the event someone dies because Public Safety personnel could not get where needed in time. I know this from personal experience.
As a former rodeo board president I urge the rodeo board to insure this safety issue is addressed to everyone’s benefit and it will not occur again.
Don Jones
Winnemucca
