Regina’s Queen City Ex (QCX) will officially open its doors to the public Wednesday, and ride safety is top of mind for everyone.
QCX fair operators, North American Midway Entertainment’s (NAME) vice-president Scooter Korek called safety their top priority.
“Safety is paramount to absolutely everything [they] do”, Korek said.
Korek said crews have to undergo a “lengthy inspection process” and work closely with the provincial ride inspectors.
Given a recent amusement ride tragedy in the United States, the spotlight on safety is even more intense.
Last week, one person was killed and seven people injured after the ride “Fireball” failed at the Ohio State Fair.
The Fireball ride is suspended and will not be in operation at the Queen City Ex.
“North American Midway owns three Fireballs. One we had in Edmonton, and two we had in the States. We suspended service to all three of our Fireballs… We’ve taken it out of service until we get a report out of Ohio and also from the ride manufacturure,” Korek said.
“We have a five level inspection process. Within the last months, we’ve been inspected by a third party inspector, which we hire. We’ve been inspected by the Alberta Inspection Authority and now the Saskatchewan Inspection Authority.”
He maintained the rides are up to standard, and are perfectly safe.
“Any one of my family can go on any of our rides any day, that’s how confident I feel about our safety program.”
The midway also has two permanent ride inspectors who travel with the company. They’re led by safety director, Michael Huplo. He maintained his crew is the best in the business.
“Every day there’s an inspection that’s documented… done by the area supervisor. They live with the equipment. They know every sound,” Huplo said.
“Not only a new sound but an old sound that goes away. That may be an indication of something, then they let us know right away.”
But Huplo said midway safety is a two-way street. Patrons also need to follow the rules.
“Please follow the instructions. We have safety instructions on signage, verbal instructions and recorded instructions. If you do have any questions on safety, we have guest services to address it.”
Comments