HOUSTON – As investigators try to figure out what happened at the Astroworld Festival, a new state task force will focus on concert safety.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said the Texas Task Force on Concert Safety will review concert safety and develop ways to enhance security at live music events.
“The incident that happened on Friday at Astroworld and the lives that were lost, that should never happen,” said Patrick M. “Marty” Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association.
Lancton said he will be a part of the task force representing the Texas State Association of Firefighters.
“This is not a partisan issue,” Lancton said. “This is a life safety issue and we look forward to getting to work.”
The governor spoke with KPRC 2 about the new task force on Wednesday.
“We want to ensure that this tragedy is not going to be repeated at the countless other venues across the entire state,” Abbott said.
The group will include safety experts, law enforcement, music industry leaders, firefighters and others.
“What we hope to gain from this is understanding the experiences of what we’ve been through, but also making changes in the interest of public safety, in the interest of life safety,” Lancton said.
He already has some points he wants to get across.
“The firefighters and EMS agencies around Texas have got to be a critical component from the very beginning of any large-scale event because when things go bad, we’re the ones coming. And we want to make sure that we can get there as quickly as possible, and we want to make sure that we have the right resources at the right time,” Lancton said.
Ultimately, the task force is expected to create a report with recommendations.
The governor did not provide a firm timeline, but said he believes they will be able to hammer out the details in a few months.