MILWAUKEE, WI, USA, August 10, 2021
When close to half a million fans poured into Milwaukee to celebrate the Bucks NBA championship win, the pressure was on local authorities to ensure their safety and they chose Meridian Rapid Defense Group to be part of the solution.
Meridian, working in partnership with the Milwaukee Police Department, established a safe zone around Fiserv Forum for the celebrations and parade using Meridian’s Homeland Security approved Archer 1200 mobile vehicle barriers.
Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas said it took a team effort and a lot of planning to secure that section of the city.
“It’s a multi-agency effort to pull off an event like that,” Lucas said.
Meridian’s barriers take the place of the often-used cumbersome concrete and water barriers which need heavy machinery to lift them into place. In contrast, the Archer barriers, made of 700 lbs of USA steel, can be wheeled into place by just one person.
Around Fiserv Forum they were used in three key locations allowing pedestrian access to the celebrations while keeping out vehicles. In such heavy crowd situations cars and celebrating fans can become a dangerous mix.
“Because of the way the playoffs panned out, much of the crowd protection plan had to be put together at the last moment.” said Peter Whitford, CEO of Meridian Rapid Defense Group.
“And, of course, that plan always had the ultimate goal of keeping every single member of that huge crowd safe.” Meridian’s fully certified deployment team worked with the Milwaukee PD to prepare a fully certified vehicle safety mitigation plan.
“This was the first time in nearly 50 years that Milwaukee had hosted NBA Finals games and Meridian was proud to be part of the celebration by helping to create a safe and secure place for everyone to enjoy their historic win,” said Mr. Whitford.
