Theme Park Operations - 2010

[Serial_Thriller]

For the last six years on another coaster site it has been tradition for me to open each operating season with some words of wisdom. To inspire the future generations who will be joining us in the finest tradition of park operations. As our industry celebrates 115 years in the service of fun, and we are all in this together, I felt this was worth a re-post here.

 

 

Before we get started I would like to take a moment to reflect upon those who gave their lives in the ultimate sacrifice of service. In a last ditch attempt to avoid a collision with a reversing monorail, Austin Wuennenberg remained at his engineering station and made valiant attempts to avert collision and keep the guest on board his monorail safe until such time he was crushed in a collision. If it was not for his actions, and his dedication to the guest in which he faithfully served. The force of the approaching monorail traveling at full speed would have pierced the passenger cabin and more then likely killed its occupants.

 

In 2009 153 operators and maintenance personnel were killed worldwide in accidents involving amusement rides. Similarly we failed to protect 331 guest, and over 10,000 suffered some sort of injury. While I am reminded that theme parks are statistically safer then airlines, there is always room for improvement.

 

For those of you whom this will be your first job, Welcome. You have signed up to operate heavy machinery in climates of varying extremes for extended periods of time with our breaks in a fast paced, exhaustive, repetitive, dangerous, unhealthy and sometimes hostile work environment. If this doesn't sound like your cup of tea it would be in your best interest to find another line of work.

 

In recent years the operators role has been down played by the reliance of automation. Guest think that operators are only button mashers, ticket takers, and rule enforcers. Frankly, I say that's bull poo-poo. Now more the ever qualified and professional operators are needed to insure guest safety. Computers are only as smart as their creators, they simply cannot handle all of the external factors that come into play in the day to day operation of a ride.

 

Ultimately an operators job is to (1.) interface with the guest and to insure their safety. (2.) To monitor the automatic operation of the ride, and to be prepared at anytime to manually take control of the ride or quickly stop its operation. (3.) To object to the operation of the ride if at anytime the operator feels an unsafe condition exist.

 

1. Interfacing with the guest can be a difficult task at times. They say that when a guest enters into the gates of a park they become a sugared up tantrum prone three year old. The fact is that they payed a lot of money to visit the park, and rightfully so they expect world class service. At all times an operator should be courteous, professional, clam, and firm on matters of safety. Everyone is responsible for enforcing park policies and there must be a consistent level of enforcement throughout.

 

2. Guest enter ride perimeters, trains skip blocks, hydraulic lines break. What do all of these problems have in common? They are require operator interaction to correct and stop the operation of the ride in a safe and controlled manner. An operators duty is to the the ride at all times it is in operation or motion. A distracted operator is the equivalent of an intoxicated operator.

 

You have no business being on any phone at anytime the ride is in operation. If you find it necessary to chase A$$, do it while the ride is not in motion. You can save time by ordering business cards with your booty call information already printed on them.

 

3. Who is at the ride more often, Maintenance, Electricians, or the Operators. After a week of operating you have probably cycled your ride more then 150 times. After that time you should understand how it works, how it responds under certain conditions, whats its quirks are, and what it sounds like under normal operating conditions.

 

More often then not it is an abnormal sound that triggers the concerns of the operator. Similarly as an operator moves about and observes the operation of the ride, it sometimes becomes apparent that components have failed, are operating improperly, or are missing entirely. You should never be afraid of raising objection or asking for assistance if you think something is out place. However you should use your knowledge of the ride to make a professional decision and plan a course of action.

 

In my time I have worked with many coworkers in the maintenance department who become annoyed when an operator calls upon them for a safety check. It is my opinion that these type of people are not worth the ground that they stand on. I have witnessed many of these same coworkers end up with mounds of paperwork because they ignored request to investigate problems with rides they were responsible for. Not to mention the fact that they had to rebuild and repair equipment that was involved in minor or major accidents.

 

Operators are the heart and soul of a park. They set the pace and the precedent in which all the other departments revolve around. Most guest do not come to parks for the food, for the shows, or for the games. They come for the rides and the chance to be scared poo-poo-less on a subsonic three hundred foot plus multi-million dollar piece of hardware built and installed by the lowest bidder.

 

So remember,

 

1. Your duty is to the ride and the safety of your guest.

2. No matter what happens remain calm and be professional.

3. When things look out of place, stop, evaluate, respond.

4. Be prepared for anything at anytime.

5. Know your ride, Know your guest.

6. Humor fix's everything. When things look dark - Smile, Tomorrow will be worse.

[tatertot3710]

Crap. Please disregard that report mods, I wasn't thinking straight, then I read it over.

 

I'll ask the same question that someone else did in your last post, did you write that yourself? Nice job. Although I don't work in any ride operation departmen now, I hope to sometime in the near future. This thread kind of makes me think back to the thread about the mother bribing the ride attendant. Kind of makes you want to take this thread and show it to them.

[Jew]

Welcome to the site.

 

What exactly are your credentials in the amusement business?

[Serial_Thriller]

25 Years with Six Flags

1 Year with Universal

3 Years as an independent consultant for various smaller venues

1 Year with Disney

 

Expertise in Theme Park Operations, Maintenance, Training & Management with specialized training in industrial automation and control systems.

 

Whats yours?

[Pufferfish]

Wow, if you wrote this then great job! Seriously as a ride op myself, I think you hit the nail square on the head. It makes me want to print this off and take it in to General Certification with me to allow for the starting operators to read it. Although some parts of it sound as if you're trying to deter one away from operating, the rest is gold.

[Anac0nda]

It makes me want to print this off and take it in to General Certification with me to allow for the starting operators to read it.

My thoughts excactly. Too bad it's in English though...

 

This is great! Thanks!

[Serial_Thriller]

Feel free to post it where you wish. You may already find it translated into many languages and posted at rides and break rooms across the country, and across the globe.

[Jew]

^^^^I've been working as a line employee and in various leadership roles at parks since I was 16. Granted I'm only 24, but still.

 

If I was given a speech like this, I would be like "WTF is this persons deal?" You make very valid points, but it's way too over the top for me.

[PriestofSyrinx]

I totally agree with you!

 

But you seem like the guy who truly enjoys doing your job and takes pride in it.

 

A few parks strive for what you stand for, but unfortunately many park operators (and I see this most at Six Flags and Kings Island) couldn't give a rat's donkey about their ride. They just wanna get it over with and get paid.

 

 

If you truly wrote that... then you seriously need to become a GM at a major park.

 

Great Stuff!

[jamesdillaman]

^ Why do you say Kings Island? Granted, I bash them more than most people on here, because I had a bad experience, but many of the ride ops I met there last year not only took great pride in their jobs, but also in the park. It was the cleanest I've seen it in years, and people actually seemed to be having fun while working there. I know many ride ops and other employees that read this forum, many of them even post. For example, PkiJizzMan was a great ride op at Kings Island. I also met the park management and they seemed to really take pride in Diamondback and all the exciting stuff brought to Kings Island last season, like the action sports tour and other things. It would have made more sense to me if you said 'Six Flags and CedarFair' but why single out Kings Island? Did you have a particular incident you can bring up?

 

-James Dillaman

[Serial_Thriller]

The problem is that a lack of leadership shows throughout an organization. If a department is failing, it is because the management of the department has lead them there. In the Six Flags instance, Six Flags employees are subconsciously taught to point fingers and lay blame instead of taking charge to resolve. In reality most of the time it is because someone of higher power is enacting a policy that is outside of the operating guidelines, manuals, or corporate policy and is placing undue restriction upon its subordinates. Or in short, we call this a management power trip. Six Flags is going to do what its fearless leader and a group of highly paid consultants tell it to, until such time that they realize they are doing it wrong or run the company further into the ground.

[Erik_73]

In 2009 153 operators and maintenance personnel were killed worldwide in accidents involving amusement rides.

 

I can not imagine this figure to be true. Were is this number based on?

[Griffonluv]

Good job Mikey

[JEAPUgrad]

In 2009 153 operators and maintenance personnel were killed worldwide in accidents involving amusement rides.

 

I can not imagine this figure to be true. Were is this number based on?

 

I'd love to know the source for all of his/her statistics.

 

Furthermore, I love "new" posters on any given message board site who claim to have been someone yet provide no other information like age and location.

 

Anybody can pretend to be someone their not on the Internet.

[Serial_Thriller]

This number is based on information gathered from several places including OSHA, its international equivalents, state regularity authorities, news paper articles, internet search's. For regions which do not actively calculate accidents or deaths an estimation based upon regionally assumed risk. I will admit that perhaps I should have said 153 estimated deaths. Rather the point of numbers is moot, as one death is more the enough.

[Wes]

^ No personal attacks, please. Keep it civil.

[Jew]

^^Perhaps you should post some of the links/sources. 153 does seem quite high.

[robbalvey]

Yeah, I'm not buying that number either. Personally this whole thread reeks of someone trying to be "Mr. Know-It-All" but this customer ain't buying the pitch. I'd like to see something, ANYTHING backing up any of his claims or experience before I'm willing to even look at the kool-aid he's trying to convince me to drink.

 

--Robb "Reading this thread makes me feel like I'm at some motivational speaker seminar trying to get me to buy his collection of self-help DVDs." Alvey

[DBru]

I don't understand...

 

This guy has come here to share some interesting advice for members that are working at a park this year. It is all pretty general, but well-stated and there isn't really anything he has said that would lead me to believe he is out-of-line. I don't think this person is trying to come off "know-it-all" at all...he's simply trying to help make 2010 a safer and improved year in the amusement industry.

 

What is the big deal?

[themeparkman25]

Deleted by author

Edited January 20, 2011 by themeparkman25

[robbalvey]

I don't understand...

 

This guy has come here to share some interesting advice for members that are working at a park this year. It is all pretty general, but well-stated and there isn't really anything he has said that would lead me to believe he is out-of-line. I don't think this person is trying to come off "know-it-all" at all...he's simply trying to help make 2010 a safer and improved year in the amusement industry.

 

What is the big deal?

 

No offense, but I think you being 16 and having never worked at a park or the theme park industry I wouldn't expect you to understand why I (and a few others) find the original post and the posters tone rather odd.

 

No one here has ever heard of this guy, I haven't really seen any proof that his credentials are real and he claims to have his words "translated into many languages and posted at rides and break rooms across the country, and across the globe."

 

Well, we actually have quite a few theme park industry members on TPR who work at parks and ride companies all across the globe and no one has ever heard of this guy or ever seen his words posted before.

 

The initial post is "interesting" to say the least and it makes some very good and valid points (although I find it way too preachy for my personal tastes), but I find the rest of his follow-up a bit "odd", that's all. Especially after he is telling everyone "No matter what happens remain calm and be professional" and then goes on to personally attack one of our more regular posters (which we had to delete his post and ultimately got him a 24hour suspension from the forums) for someone simply questioning his background and rightfully so.

 

I've actually now have quite a few people who work at various parks and ride manufacturers send me private messages about this basically saying what Joey said "WTF is this persons deal?" If you're going to make a claim, back it up. If you can't back it up, don't get upset when people question you.

 

--Robb "I'm questioning it's authenticity, that's all." Alvey

[Jew]

^Exactly. If he said "Hi, I'm John Jacob Jinglehiemer Smith. I was the former GM of Blockoland, and here is the letter I wrote to be included with new hire paperwork when I was there. I thought you guys would find it interesting!" I would be less confused as to why I am being preached to.

[BeemerBoy]

So remember,

 

1. Your duty is to the ride and the safety of your guest.

2. No matter what happens remain calm and be professional.

3. When things look out of place, stop, evaluate, respond.

4. Be prepared for anything at anytime.

5. Know your ride, Know your guest.

6. Humor fix's everything. When things look dark - Smile, Tomorrow will be worse.

 

 

 

7. ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN

8. No matter what a stripper tells you, there's NO sex in the champagne room.

[Wes]

So remember,

 

1. Your duty is to the ride and the safety of your guest.

2. No matter what happens remain calm and be professional.

3. When things look out of place, stop, evaluate, respond.

4. Be prepared for anything at anytime.

5. Know your ride, Know your guest.

6. Humor fix's everything. When things look dark - Smile, Tomorrow will be worse.

 

 

 

7. ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN

8. No matter what a stripper tells you, there's NO sex in the champagne room.

9. Do NOT feed Gremlins after midnight

10. Never fall in love on the Jersey Shore

[mcjaco]

So remember,

 

1. Your duty is to the ride and the safety of your guest.

2. No matter what happens remain calm and be professional.

3. When things look out of place, stop, evaluate, respond.

4. Be prepared for anything at anytime.

5. Know your ride, Know your guest.

6. Humor fix's everything. When things look dark - Smile, Tomorrow will be worse.

 

 

 

7. ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN

8. No matter what a stripper tells you, there's NO sex in the champagne room.

9. Do NOT feed Gremlins after midnight

10. Never fall in love on the Jersey Shore

11. The White Zone is for loading and unloading only.