Family entertainment centers form a significant segment of the larger attractions industry. Typically sitting on a smaller footprint than a traditional amusement or water park, FEC’s nonetheless delight and thrill millions of guests each year on the very same rides and attractions commonly found at their larger siblings in the industry. Ride safety, efficiency, and professionalism in operations is thus no less important in the FEC context than it is in a major amusement park. To address this segment of the industry, IRT is proud to introduce the iROC-FEC program.
While many of the risks inherent in the operation of amusement rides are the same regardless of whether the ride is located in an FEC or major theme park, depth of resources and economies of scale are quite different. Even the smallest fixed-site park typically has more than a dozen rides in operation daily whereas a dozen rides at an FEC would indicate a facility of considerable size. And while FECs collectively entertain millions of guests each year nationwide, they typically host far fewer guests per year on a per-facility basis. The iROC-FEC program has been designed with these operational realities in mind so that FEC owners and operators receive the benefits of the iROC program in terms of ride safety, efficiency, and professionalism in a more streamlined fashioned that reduces overall program costs to each facility.
Before explaining how the iROC-FEC program differs from the traditional iROC program, it’s important to explain how it is not. The iROC-FEC program is built on the same foundation as the iROC program: The Ten Critical Components. iROC-FEC facilities have access to the same iROC training materials and accountability tools as every other iROC facility. These include:
- Unlimited access to the iROC Online Training platform with a dedicated electronic record-keeping site for each facility;
- Unlimited ride operator iROC Instructor, Trainer, and Operator Certifications
- Access to the iROC Instructor Resource Manual and iROC Operator Resource Manual
- Access to all iROC Streaming Training Videos
- Access to the iROC Ten Critical Components “Black Book” for use as a quick reference training guide in the field
- Access to the “Eight Great” presentation skills booklet for iROC Instructors and Trainers
- Access to the iROC Self-Auditing App
- A minimum of two iROC Certification Audits per year.
So what’s different about the iROC-FEC program? In short, not much. To accommodate the limited resources of a smaller operation, the iROC-FEC program implements a few streamlined features that, while not necessarily practical in a large park environment, are perfect for a family entertainment center. These primarily include:
- Streamlined iROC Certification Audits: iROC-FEC audits may be
conducted either by IRT auditors or, to avoid travel expense for facility operators, by locally-based IRT-trained “secret shoppers.” iROC-FEC audits assess a maximum of six ride locations. For standalone attractions, iROC-FEC certification audits assess operations at the attraction at various times throughout the operating day to assess as many operators as possible on every shift. When conducted using “secret shoppers,” these shoppers observe and record ride operators before forwarding these recordings to an IRT-qualified auditor for assessment remotely. Within 48 hours of the certification audit site-visit, the IRT auditor will review all audit recordings, prepare the audit report, and host an exit meeting with facility management via teleconference to review audit findings. - A la Carte iROC “Ride Camp” Safety School Registration: iROC Instructors must be re-certified at least every two years. For traditional iROC facilities, attendance at the annual iROC “Ride Camp” Safety School is built into every iROC facility contract. iROC-FEC contracts do not include annual attendance at Ride Camp. Rather, tuition for iROC-FEC attendees to the annual Ride Camp is offered a la carte at the same rate as is included in the traditional iROC program to allow facilities to decide on their own whether to attend each year or every other year or to decide how many instructor candidates to enroll based on their own resources and budget constraints.
There are a few other program exclusions with regard to the iROC-FEC program, but the core focus of the iROC program on ride safety, efficiency, and professionalism and the benefits to a family entertainment center in terms of risk management, reduced turnover, and enhanced safety (among others) remains the same. Contact International Ride Training for more information about the iROC-FEC Program.