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Squamish Valley Music Festival (SVMF) organizers and police are ready to do a rundown of a worst-case emergency scenario.
On Monday, June 23, backers of the three-day music festival, from Aug.听 8 to 10, and Squamish RCMP will go through drills in preparation for possible emergencies during the event. The day will play out at the police detachment鈥檚 headquarters, with staff working through scenarios from hazardous weather to a major accident on the highway, SVMF executive director Paul Runnals said.听
鈥淚 would argue that we are establishing a new 鈥榞old standard鈥� for event planning in British Columbia,鈥� he said.
Festival organizers hired a certified safety engineer from Toronto to oversee this year鈥檚 event, which is anticipated to draw 35,000 people to town. Proponents established an emergency preparedness plan that lays down basic guidelines for any incidents.听
鈥淚t is more of a framework about how you would respond to any given scenario,鈥� Runnals said.听
More than $1.25 million is being spent on security, medical personnel and law enforcement, he said. A 24-hour control centre, much like a 911 dispatch facility, will be set up throughout the event, he said. SVMF organizers have hired more than 500 security guards and are paying for 70 dedicated RCMP officers.听
Up to 125 medical staff will be on site, Runnals added. The goal is to minimize use of the Squamish General Hospital, he noted.听
鈥淲e have significantly elevated the medical plan this year,鈥� Runnals said, adding the festival grounds will include a safe centre for women.
Water, power, cellphone and Wifi services have also been beefed up.听
Coun. Patricia Heintzman asked whether the campgrounds south of the North Yards in Squamish鈥檚 business park would be covered with grass. Runnals said that window has passed for this year. Instead, organizers are packing the site with four inches of sand to mitigate dust. Grass will cover the grounds next year, he said.听
