It’s one of the most anticipated events in Weld County every year: The Greeley Stampede. More than 250,000 visitors from across the country dust off their cowboy boots and head on down to Island Grove Regional Park for 12 days of rodeos, concerts, and carnival fun.

But while attendees are cheering on bull riders, singing at concerts, eating fried food on sticks and trying their luck at carnival games, another group of attendees is there with a different goal in mind — public safety.

According to Dave Burns, Senior Emergency Management Coordinator with Weld County’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM), planning for the Stampede begins long before the first longhorn arrives on site.

“Each May, the team conducts a tabletop exercise in preparation for the next Stampede. We focus on mitigating potential emergencies and concerns that may come up,” Burns said. “It’s an added, and necessary, way to make sure we’re that much more ready for the upcoming event.”

The team Burns references consists of several agencies, including the Weld County OEM, Weld County Sheriff’s Office, Weld County Regional Communications Center, City of Greeley OEM, Greeley Police Department, Greeley Fire Department, UCHealth, Banner Health, the Stampede Security Chair and staff, and the National Weather Service.

“The collaboration and expertise these agencies bring to this event is crucial to its success,” Burns said. “And when we do our job well, no one even knows we are there.”

To do the job well, however, the emergency operations team needs to be prepared for any type of incident, ranging from rogue livestock to severe weather.

When threatening storm clouds started to roll in during the 2024 Stampede, the team’s attention immediately turned to public safety — metal rides and crowds of people don’t mix well with rain and lighting.  

“Because the team received advanced alerts from the National Weather Service, we were able to immediately relay the information to Stampede leadership and first responders," Burns explained. "This enabled us to shut down rides and concerts in a timely manner, and attendees were directed to designated storm shelters and indoor facilities throughout the park before the storm reached the area.”

As is common with emergency response, the lack of incidents is a measure of success. So, before gates open every day, this team gathers for a safety and security meeting. Discussions revolve around events that occurred the day before, planned events for the current day (including how many people are expected to attend the rodeos and concerts), and potential challenges the team may face.

“Some nights, the park’s free stage might draw a big crowd, so we need to be ready for a lot of people in that area,” Burns said. Other nights, the rodeo might be the biggest draw, so focusing attention on the arena is warranted.”

Pete Perez, Director of Greeley’s OEM, is proud to be part of this team of people who have an impact on Greeley Stampede visitors, whether they know it or not.

“Having all of the key emergency operations players in one room together is helpful,” Perez noted. “It allows us to have a big-picture view of the event that the general public doesn’t often see and to understand the anticipated challenges of each day so if something happens, we’re ready to respond and ensure everyone’s safe.”

These daily emergency operations briefings are where the rubber meets the road, according to Jon Patton, who serves as the Greeley Stampede’s Security Chairman.

“Every organization who is part of these daily meetings has a different focus, whether that’s fire, emergency medical services or severe weather, but we all have the same mission when we sit in that room together,” Patton said. “That mission is to provide a safe event for the community. Because the Stampede is a community event put on by community volunteers like us for community members.”

When the dust settles in the arena and carnival tear-down begins, this group of dedicated emergency operations personnel gathers to brief one last time.

“For me, it’s a huge sense of relief knowing we made it through another year,” Burns exclaimed. “At the same time, we’re saying, ‘OK, let’s gear up for next year.’”