Eastern Idaho State Fair prepares security for large crowd

In light of two shootings that left 30 people dead in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, the Eastern Idaho State Fair is assuring families that fair security is tight.

The fair, which attracted nearly 250,000 people last year, an all-time record, is an event families look forward to every year.

In 2019 alone, 62 people have been murdered in mass shootings in America, according to Time. Many of these shootings take place in highly populated areas, such as Walmarts, festivals and university campuses. Feeling unsafe in public spaces is common among Americans right now.

That’s why the Eastern Idaho State Fair is assuring the public they’re taking precautionary measures to deter anything like that happening here.

“We’ve approached this for many years to ensure the safety of the public by doing those things which work, and the people can be entrusted to know that we’re going to do those same things today and in the future,” said Brandon Bird, the fair’s manager.

The security measures taken have worked well, considering Bird hasn’t had many problems at the fair before.

“In my 10 years of being here, I’ve really only had one significant incident. I’m pretty proud of that and hope that that is the last one we see for a while,” Bird said.

To keep things safe, trained officers will man the grounds day and night.

“Everybody that’s in a security shirt is usually a hired, off-duty law enforcement officer. So, they have guns inside there, and they can respond pretty quickly as well,” said Kenneth Williams, the active shooter instructor at the Blackfoot Police Department.

“There’s over 40 of those officers on-site and on the grounds during the busy times of the day,” Bird said.

In addition, the Blackfoot Police Department and the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office will be in and out of the fair to ensure people’s safety.

“Between those two things, it’s just a really safe place. The community itself is represented at the fair, and that’s why we know it’s a safe place, is because we have a great community,” Bird said.

Nevertheless, if something were to happen, there are three things police say you should do.

Run if you can Hide if you can’t escape Fight if all else fails

“If you have to, use whatever you need. If you don’t have a gun on you, use a stapler; use whatever’s near you,” Williams said. “If you can find any sort of tool, any sort of weapon that you can use to fight back, use it.”

For those who carry concealed weapons, keep in mind your own safety if an active shooter situation arises.

“If you’re concealed carrying, use it for defense, don’t use it to try to go find the person that’s shooting. Because we’ll come in and see a guy with a gun and unfortunately, it could end badly if we don’t have a good description of who the guy is,” Williams said.

“We prefer people keep their weapons at home. It’s a very crowded place and this is a place for fun, and that’s all that we hope to have this year,” Bird said.

Rest assured, Southeast Idaho is a fairly safe place to live.

“I feel like we have a pretty strong law enforcement presence here. Not a very big community, but we do have a lot of guys on that are all willing to do what they need to do,” Williams said.

Police say if you do see something suspicious, contact your local police department and let them handle it. In the case of an emergency, call 911.

Security at the fair will be located directly behind the Main Office and can be reached at 208-785-2480.