City Businesses Need 'Crowd Managers'

Every East Providence restaurant, bar, movie theater, bowling alley, skating rink or other business with a capacity of 50 or more people is required by law to have a trained “crowd manager” on its staff. Most do not.

To remedy that, Capt. Oscar Elmasian and the Rhode Island Fire Marhsal’s Office are hosting a free – repeat free – class next month.

On Thursday, Oct. 20, they will lead a formal certification class beginning at 6 pm in . Capt. Elmasian is hoping to attract representatives from throughout the city’s businesses, categorized as “places of assembly,” that serve food and drinks, provide entertainment and host more than 50 people at a time.

The training should take three to four hours. Each business is required to have at least one trained crowd manager – someone helping to maintain an orderly exit of patrons in the event of a fire alarm or emergency.

Any company or person who is interested in this training should send an email to firemarshal@eastprovfire.com. The email should include the person's name, a contact phone number, and the company they work for here in the city.