LOCKN' Music Festival 2013
September 19th, 2013 - With just over 20,000 in attendance, the LOCKN’ festival was a huge success. Wintergreen Fire & Rescue (WFR) logged just over 1,000 patient contacts. Over 200 involved enough patient care to require a "run sheet". 17 persons were transported via ambulance to the University of Virginia and Augusta Health.
WFR provided staffing for 5 medical Tents, 3 golf carts (medical transportation around the event), 3 walking teams, dispatching, 1 on-site physician throughout the week/weekend and 3 Chief Officers. Having an on-site physician for 100 consecutive hours allowed us to treat 50+ patients who would have otherwise have been transported. This extended care meant our providers had to work side by side with the doctors, often caring for six or more patients at one time. The training value and the rapport-building was enormous.
Staffing the event for 11 days, 5 of which were 24/7 coverage went off without a hitch. Thanks to our staff, and the roughly 40 members from surrounding agencies who assisted, our schedules stayed full and we were prepared for just about everything. We involved providers from Nelson, Amherst, Augusta, and Albemarle Counties. We also involved the Cities of Staunton, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, and Lynchburg.
There’s no better way to forecast how your agency will perform at a natural disaster than to manage man-made disasters. From the bid-process, to supply and logistics issues, to staff management, this event tested every single element of our medical staff.
Based upon feedback from the promoter, our performance was stellar. Wintergreen Resort was fully booked for lodging during the festival. Because of this Wintergreen Fire and Rescue didn’t tap Wintergreen volunteers for the festival. Our Wintergreen staff, our volunteers, as well as the "County Crew" remained at 100% staffing levels throughout the 5-day event.
Special thanks to Lovingston and Piney River Fire Departments for providing 100 hours of fire suppression. There were actually 2 small fires which required their intervention. The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office and the State Police also deserve credit for their efforts. -Michael Barber