SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP, Pa. — The new roller coaster at Dorney Park undoubtedly will cause moments of panic among riders.
That's one of the ideas of roller coasters. Dorney's new Iron Menace — the first dive coaster on the East Coast — is a thrilling ride riddled with skydiving-like drops and upside-down loops.
But if fear for safety creeps into your thoughts, Dorney — which officially opens May 10, with Preseason Preview Days April 27-28 and May 4-5 — says there's no reason to worry.
"Before we actually can touch the ride, there's a whole process,” said Kristin Ardizoni, the park's director of operations, safety and security.
"What we do is we run and run and run and run and run to try to prevent anything from potentially happening."Kristin Ardizoni, Director of Operations, Safety, and Security, Dorney Park
“The manufacturer goes through all of their sorts of tests and then they do a straight 40-hour runtime of just running it, watching it, looking to see on the PLC [monitor] to see what's coming up, any errors, anything that flags that they need to maybe adjust.”
Ardizoni said once that’s done, the ride comes to Dorney, where a third-party inspector examines the ride, followed by their own testing.
“What we do is we run and run and run and run and run to try to prevent anything from potentially happening," Ardizoni said. "But with that we use water dummies, ballasts. So we fill those to simulate weight in the attraction.”
Tested restraints, staff training
She said workers also open and close every buckle and restraint on the ride before anyone gets on the roller coaster.
“We also do what's called accelerometer testing," Ardizoni said. "So it tells us how many G's (gravity force) the ride is pulling because we want to make sure that the dynamic of the ride isn't too much on the human body.”
Iron Menace not only has an over-the-shoulder restraint, but an inner vest to keep people safer and in place while experiencing the ride.
"And then there's a systematic cueing. You'll see like thumbs up, before we actually physically dispatch.”Dorney Park Director of Operations, Safety and Security Kristin Ardizoni
Employees working to seat people on Iron Menace go through extensive training, as well.
By the time the rider is on the attraction, those working there have a system in place to double-check the safety of people on and around the ride.
“There is a communication, there's hand signals that they use [like] hands off the panels," Ardizoni said.
"We also utilize, if you watch their system, they go into position, they do a full scan. But they're not just looking at the train, they're looking at like low areas underneath to make sure no one's jumped a fence and gotten to an area where they could get hurt before we dispatch.
"And then there's a systematic cueing. You'll see like thumbs up, before we actually physically dispatch.”
The employees have been trained to evacuate the rise should that be needed.
First responders also ready
Dorney Park also keeps area first responders in the safety loop in the event of an emergency.
“As far as the safety goes, it's like a typical amusement park," said Stephen Brown, interim chief of South Whitehall Township Police Department.
"We do get calls here, but it's not really for the safety aspect of things. We have a good working relationship with the Dorney Park security as well as the [general manager].
"So we've worked together back and forth. If there's something that comes up, we try to troubleshoot."
Greenawalds Fire Department Chief Andre Garger said, "Dorney Park has been a great partner of all the South Whitehall Township emergency services, so they very much keep us in the loop with what they're doing and how we can access the park and best help them if they ever do need us.”
Ardizoni said that now that the Iron Menace ride is open, one of the main concerns comes from those riding the attraction.
“Loose articles are always a big safety concern that people don't really think about,” she said. “We know that our riders, our guests, really want to capture those moments with their cell phones, but you can really hurt someone when that cell phone comes out of your hand.”
She said the ride has some recommendations when it comes to who should not ride, such as those who are pregnant, have back or heart issues, recently had surgery or people with certain prosthetics.
