According to Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda, the ride called Kissel’s Military Base will not be part of the 2019 Ohio State Fair lineup after visible corrosion was found during an inspection.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Three rides are back open Friday at the Ohio State Fair after inspectors temporarily closed them as a precaution.
During Thursday morning inspections, workers identified five individual rides that failed to meet new safety guidelines.
Inspectors found corrosion on the Kissel Military Base ride and removed it from the fair’s lineup completely. It was dismantled and taken away from the fairgrounds before Friday morning.
“The system really worked,” said Gov. Mike DeWine. “The whole idea is to be able to find the problems, then be able to recognize them and take action.”
Corrosion was blamed in 2017 when the Fire Ball ride fell apart while in motion, killing 18-year-old Tyler Jarrell and injuring seven others.
Following the tragedy, the fair renewed its push for safety. DeWine approved $400,000 in funding for inspections in his recent budget.
When a new director took over at the Department of Agricultural in January, she also began requiring ride inspectors to ask a series of new questions about manufacturer alerts, recent changes, and new actions taken on a ride since its previous inspection.
“We’re still inspecting it like our own children are riding it and our own grandchildren,” said ride inspector Michael McCarnan.
The Department of Agriculture also chose a new ride vendor, Texas-based Talley Amusements, Inc. for its good safety track record. The Kissel Military Base ride belongs to a Georgia-based company contracted for the fair and not Talley Amusements.
Fairgoers said Friday they appreciated the greater accountability.
“I’m in the transportation business and we have to make sure our trucks are safe every day they’re on the roads,” said Patrick Toale. “There shouldn’t be any difference with rides.”
Toale was at the State Fair Midway Friday with his family after three of Thursday’s closed rides reopened.
“I’m glad they took away the rides that aren’t safe and they’re really, really inspecting everything,” he said.
The Wave Swinger, Tilt-O-Whirl and Kiddieland ride Choo-Choo Express all passed inspections Friday morning and were allowed to reopen to the public.
A fourth ride, the Space Roller, remained closed for continued maintenance on its hydraulic motor. The Department of Agriculture expected it to be operational before the fair ends.
Per protocol, inspectors will continue daily morning inspections, as well as periodic checks on operators during the day to ensure each ride is operating properly.
Pelanda said on Thursday the four rides had not opened yet due to some needed minor repairs, but those were expected to open this week.
“In being very proactive about ride safety, I want to assure the public who is visiting us we will take a very aggressive stance. In talking with some of the other inspectors, and people who work with our inspectors, Ohio has a reputation of being one of the strictest, in terms of ride safety, and I’m very proud of that,” says Pelanda.
None of the rides had ever been open to the public.
According to Pelanda, Kissel’s Military Base takes rides up into the sky and turns them. It is not part of Talley Amusements, which was picked to provide rides for this year’s fair.
