Tools and tables
What could go wrong: a table of event risks
About twenty-five things that go wrong at small events, filtered by setting and feature, each with how to prevent it, the early sign, the first response, who to call and the source. Rows that match your setup are marked.
Use this table to choose the rows for your contingency plan. Each row is a starting point: your plan adds how likely and how bad it is at your event, the moment you decide, and the one person who decides. The contingency plan explains how. A row marked "all" applies to any event.
In an emergency
For anyone who is unconscious, not breathing, badly hurt, having a serious allergic reaction, showing signs of heat stroke or of alcohol overdose, call 911 first. Everything else on this page comes after that call.
| What could happen | Prevention | Early sign | First response | Who to call | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Name a weather watcher; know the nearest building or hard-topped cars and how long it takes everyone to get there. | Thunder heard, or lightning on a radar app | Everyone into a substantial building or a hard-topped car. Tents and picnic shelters are not shelter. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder. | 911 if anyone is struck | NWS Lightning Safety; NWS: When a safe building is nearby |
| Heat exhaustion | Shade, water out all day, the heat index forecast checked the week of; full sun can add up to 15°F to it. | Heavy sweating; cool, pale, clammy skin; dizziness; nausea; fainting | A cooler place, loosened clothing, cool wet cloths, sips of water. Get medical help if they vomit, get worse, or it lasts more than an hour. | A doctor; 911 if it worsens | NWS: Heat illness; NWS: Heat forecast tools |
| Heat stroke | As for heat exhaustion; watch older guests, children and anyone working. | Confusion, slurred speech, hot red skin, a throbbing headache, fainting | Call 911. Move them somewhere cooler and cool them with cloths. NWS says not to give fluids. | 911 | NWS: Heat illness |
| Rain | A rain location named in advance; a tent rated for the site. | The forecast the week of | Move to the rain location; shorten the program if needed. | The venue or park office; suppliers | NWS Event Ready |
| Wind and a tent | Anchors or weights on every leg; the maker's wind rating and the local rule written on the run sheet. | Gusts; a tent lifting or a pole moving | Clear the tent; take it down above the lower of the maker's rating and the local limit (one city: 30 mph; one fire district: 15 mph for canopies). | The tent company; the fire department | Grand Rapids tent rules; Sedona Fire District |
| Food out too long | One person watches the clock; small platters replaced; back-ups kept hot or cold. | The two-hour mark, or one hour above 90°F | Food comes off the table and is discarded or, if it was never put out, refrigerated. | None; the person in charge of food decides | FSIS: Danger Zone |
| Hot food not hot enough | Chafing dishes, slow cookers or a warming oven; a food thermometer. | A dish below 140°F | Reheat to 165°F or replace it; do not top it up. | None | FDA: Safe Buffets |
| An allergic reaction | Guests asked about allergies in advance; every dish labelled with its major allergens; one utensil per dish; the guest with the allergy served first. | Symptoms within minutes or up to 2 hours after eating or contact (FSIS) | Call 911. The guest's own medicine, if they carry it, is theirs to use. | 911 | FDA: Food allergies; FARE: Avoiding cross-contact; FSIS: The Big 9 |
| A cook or helper is ill | Anyone with vomiting or diarrhea stays out of the kitchen until 24 hours after symptoms stop. | A message the day before | The backup on the roles sheet takes the job. | The point person | UMN: Cooking safely for a crowd |
| A guest who has drunk too much | Food and drinks without alcohol always out; a person who stops service; rides arranged. | Unsteady, slurred speech, keys in hand | No more alcohol; a ride home. Coffee and cold showers do not sober anyone up. | A taxi or a sober driver | NIAAA: Holiday spirits |
| Signs of alcohol overdose | As above. | Passed out, or cannot stay awake | Call 911. A person who has passed out can die, and blood alcohol can keep rising after the last drink. Cold showers, coffee and walking do not reverse it. | 911 | NIAAA: Alcohol overdose |
| A guest under 21 is served | Alcohol served by a named adult; no self-serve cooler where children are. | A young guest with a drink | Stop serving; tell their parent. Laws on furnishing alcohol to minors differ by state. | Your state's rules (ask before the event) | NIAAA APIS: Furnishing alcohol to minors |
| A lost child | A meeting point agreed with children and parents at the start; a helper named for the children's area. | A child not where they should be | Search at once; take a description; do not announce the child's name over a speaker; call the police whenever you are worried. (UK councils' practice; no US public source found.) | The police (911) | Telford and Wrekin Council; Dover District Council |
| Children near water, a street or a grill | Adults named to watch, in shifts; the area marked on the layout sketch. | No adult watching | Bring the children back to the area; fill the gap in the shift. | The point person | This manual's convention |
| A candle fire | Candles at least 12 inches from anything that can burn, in sturdy holders; flameless candles where possible. | A candle near a napkin, a curtain or a centerpiece | Move or blow it out. For a fire that spreads, get everyone out and call 911. | 911 | Seattle Fire Department |
| A grill near the building | One city's rule: open-flame grills 10 feet from anything combustible at multifamily buildings, and recommended at houses. | A grill against a wall, under eaves or a tent | Move it before it is lit. | Your fire department, about its rules | Madison Fire Department |
| Carbon monoxide from a generator or grill | Generators and grills used outside only, not in a home, garage or carport; generators at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents. | A generator or grill being moved indoors to escape rain | Move it back outside; anyone dizzy or sick gets fresh air and a 911 call. | 911 | CDC: Avoiding carbon monoxide poisoning; Ready.gov: Power outages |
| The power goes out | A flashlight in the kit; know where the breaker panel is. | Lights out | Keep the refrigerator closed (about four hours of cold); hot food stays safe about two hours in a switched-off slow cooker. | The venue; the utility | Ready.gov: Power outages; FSIS: Slow cookers |
| An injury: a fall, a cut, a burn | Paths clear; cords taped; a first aid kit packed; someone with first aid training named. | Someone hurt | First aid from the kit; 911 for anything serious, with the street address ready. | 911 | Red Cross: First aid kit |
| Someone collapses | Know where the nearest AED is. | Not responding, not breathing normally | Call 911; send someone for the AED, turn it on and follow its voice prompts. | 911 | Red Cross: AED steps |
| More people than the room holds | Know the posted occupant load; count at the door near the limit. | A crowded room; blocked aisles | Stop admitting people; clear the exits. | The venue | Fairfax County Fire Marshal |
| A supplier does not come | Confirmation the week of; the contact's phone on the contact sheet; a backup idea. | No arrival by the agreed time | Call the contact; move to the backup. Paid by card? The billing-error rights may apply. | The supplier; your card issuer, in writing | The budget; Hiring suppliers |
| The host is ill, or the event must be called off | A decision date and one person who decides; the suppliers' cancellation terms known. | Illness, a severe forecast, a venue problem | Decide at the decision point; tell guests and suppliers the same way they were invited. | Suppliers; guests | The contingency plan |
| Fewer guests than the count | A reply-by date and follow-up calls before the final count. | Late cancellations | Nothing to do on the day; the caterer bills the guarantee. | None | Guests and invitations |
| A dish fails | One make-ahead or bought dish as a backup. | It burns, it does not set | Serve the rest; something bought fills the gap. | None | This manual's convention |
Limits
This table prepares decisions; it does not prevent what it lists, and it is not first aid training. A Red Cross class teaches first aid and AED use. Rules quoted from one city, fire district or council are that place's examples; ask your own. Whether your event needs a row this table lacks is yours to judge.