This post is not about what to do on a first date. It is what should be put in place for your safety to be guaranteed. It is a first date and you have not known the person well enough to trust him completely.
As exciting as a first date sounds, safety should be your first concern. There are many red flags that are indicators of a safety threat and you have to be instinctive in order to detect them.
You should be the one to select the meeting spot. This means you have the power (although not ultimate- since you ought to put the other person into consideration) to control the meeting since you can select a place you are more comfortable in.
Sometimes, you can go with a friend. The person does not necessarily have to stay for the whole date. The idea here is to introduce the person to your date so that he knows someone else knows you came for a date; after which the person can leave or stay whichever you choose.
Personally, I do not go on dates with persons I have not talked to on the phone or seen. Before the date, it will not hurt to do a video call with this person. It may give you deep clues as to the person you are about to meet.
Always have an exit strategy in place before going out on the date. It has never failed. You can enlist the help of a trusted friend to help you plan a getaway excuse.
A friend of mine did this and called me two hours into the date about a fool-proof emergency. If the date was not going well, I had a perfect excuse to leave. If otherwise, I simply let her know I was good and could not come.