DES MOINES, Iowa — A day out before the Iowa State Fair begins, safety crews have been out on the grounds daily inspecting and double checking rides to make sure they are safe to ride.
The fair has hired third-party company Wagner Consulting Group for years. The team is made up of a group of inspectors who do torque checks and ensure all rides are "ready to ride" come fair time at approximately 15 state fairs across the country.
"Every ride has manufacturer specifications. So that ride has certain torque specifications. How much I tighten that bolt or tighten that hardware. We're there to witness all that," explained ride inspector Jonathan Brooks.
On Wednesday, Brooks and his team went through the rest of the rides they hadn't gotten to this week, and also did their "daily inspections" including at the "Extreme" ride. It has over-the-shoulder constraints, and each constraint has a switch on it.
"We check each individual constraint individually. To make sure that if that constraint is open, that ride will not operate," Brooks told Local 5 News.
Brooks added that people should trust his team. All rides are up to manufacturer standard and have their safety approval because he threw out the scenario that: "If I am going to let my kids, I'm certainly going to let your kids ride it. If I won't let my kids ride, I won't let your kids ride. So that's how I look at everything."
In terms of safety tips, Brooks wants people to: follow height restrictions for rides, do not take out your phone during or while on a ride, and mentioned that if parents see their kids feeling nervous or "woozy" in line, play it safe and don't let them on.