The Wacken Open Air festival is going to attract over 80,000 metal-heads from all over. After the recent attacks in Ansbach, the festivals co-founder Thomas Jensen has taken measures to ensure the safety of everyone.Β
The recent attacks in Ansbach last week, raised a lot of concerns about the security measures festival organizers take to prevent such mishaps. When approached, Thomas Jensen talked about his approach towards security. The system they follow in Germany is called BOS in short. The main pillars being “Behorden“(authorities), “Organisation“(organizers), “Sichereit“(security). Β
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According to Jensen, they meet these departments way ahead of time before the actual festival and make a list of all the things that could go wrong. They then undergo real-time scenario training to get an idea of how to cope with any such situation. These situations can include anything from acts of terrorism to severe weather conditions, which is a common problem.
Jensen said “You have you figure out really quickly what happened and who is responsible. Our fans are the most important thing to consider. They’re seen by everybody – the authorities, the police and medical services – as our guests, and there is a strong emotional connection. What we want the most is for them to get here safely and enjoy a great, safe festival.”
To ensure quicker and effective safety methods, they’ve banned backpacks of any kind at all into the festival venue. According to them, it consumes time to check them individually. Jensen hopes to have a safe incident free event this year and hopes all the metal heads rock out and have a good time.
The Wacken Open Air festival is happening from August 4-6.Β