Committee To Address Temporary Event Structures

The first meeting of a new panel that will study Kentucky’s safety codes for large outdoor tents and other temporary structures will be held this week. 

The advisory was committee was formed in response to last year’s deadly stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair and the recent collapse of a beer tent in St. Louis.  The two incidents killed eight people and injured dozens of others. Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet Spokesman Dick Brown says large outdoor tents and other structures are commonly used at events such as the Kentucky Derby.

"Unfortunately as we have seen, high winds or unexpected storms can do some damage if these aren’t properly anchored and safety precautions taken," says Brown.

Brown says the 19-member committee of government and industry representatives will revisit the state’s building codes to see of they’re in need of an update. Its first meeting is Thursday in Frankfort.