OCS Security provides 24/7 security support to Chill Factore real snow indoor ski resort
(14/05/2008)

OCS Security is tackling the ‘coolest security job in Britain’ after winning the contract to provide 24/7 support to the world’s widest – and the UK’s longest – real snow indoor ski resort.

The contract, located at the £31 million Chill Factore centre at Trafford Quays in Manchester, means OCS is responsible for the safety of 2 million visitors every year and the security of one of the most prestigious leisure destinations in the UK. The centre has two distinct areas – cold and warm. The cold area provides three indoor ski slopes and a children’s area complete with igloos, slides and a toboggan run. In the warm area, visitors have a wide choice of shops, restaurant and bar facilities with panoramic views of the ski slope activities.

The OCS team of eleven professionals provide manned ‘Customer Liaison Officers’ and are backed by the latest CCTV monitoring to provide continuous security and support across the 250,000 square foot facility. The project was completed after four years and opened to very high levels of demand from day one, with 1200 people turning up on the opening day.

Describing the contract, Paul Jacomb, managing director of OCS Security said, “This is both a prestigious and unique role for OCS, combining support for visitors with the need for professional security at a very high profile venue. The work involves 24hr cover, 7 days a week and the slopes are open to the public until 11pm every night.”

The large and complex site required a tailored approach to security which was developed by OCS to take into account high usage levels and the complex technologies behind the scenes needed to create a real snow environment. Up to 150 skiers can use the 180 metre long slopes at any one time and the venue is also the training base for the Great Britain Ski Racing Team.

OCS has responsibility for supporting the many corporate hospitality events which the unique venue attracts. The OCS team also expects to provide back-up to the specially trained ‘snow crew’ that deals with accidents or emergencies on the slopes.

OCS Group chief executive, Chris Cracknell said, “This is a contract for a prestigious national venue which accommodates the needs of our national ski team as well as family days out. The provision of professional security support is critical and I am proud of our team for demonstrating they are more than capable of meeting this demanding requirement.”