AUSTIN, Texas — On Thursday, officials with the Austin Police Department (APD) and the Austin-Travis County EMS hosted a joint press conference to lay out their plans for South by Southwest (SXSW) and provide safety tips.
"Both of our agencies will have staff in and around the area of the festival, and we're here to help," APD Cpl. Destiny Silva said.
Silva noted that with the uptick in people and traffic coming into the Downtown area in the next couple of weeks, residents should be aware of their surroundings and to call 911 if they need help.
"Do not hesitate. We are going to be working inside the festival, outside the festival. Our law enforcement partners, as well as our medical professionals, will be there. We are here to help you. Please don't hesitate to call 911," Silva said.
Silva did mention, however, that if there is no threat in the area anymore, people are recommended to call 311, the department's non-emergency line.
Silva, alongside ATCEMS Captain Christa Stedman, reassured the public that there will be enough staff in the area if anyone needs help. The entertainment district is treated as a "city within a city" when SXSW and the spring festival season come around.
"We stand up additional ambulances. We stand up SRUs, which is essentially two paramedics on like an ATV-type vehicle that's capable of carrying a stretcher. We've set up what we call a patient collection point, and that's basically a field hospital that we stand up within the footprint," Stedman said.
Earlier this week, APD acknowledged the staffing crisis it is facing, but explained that the department has all the positions filled for SXSW and that the 911 call center with have enough staff through overtime.
"This is not uncharted territory. With or without the staffing problem, we're all hands on-deck. The same number of positions that we need to keep South by Southwest safe is just the same this year as it was last year. And we have those positions filled," APD Assistant Chief Jeff Greenwalt said.
During the Thursday press conference, officials mentioned that they know people will be using drugs during the spring festival events, even though it is illegal to do so. If people will be using any substances, the best thing to do is be in a group and have Narcan on hand just in case.
"We actually typically see a spike in overdoses during the spring season and we haven't seen that yet, which is really great and we want to keep on that track," Stedman said.
Officials have not listed a distribution site for people to have access to Narcan, but you can get it over-the-counter at any local CVS pharmacy or a Walgreens. The University of Texas also distributes Narcan at the Perry Castaneda Library on campus.
Another location for the life-saving spray is at the Sunrise Navigation Center in southwest Austin, where a vending machine purely for Narcan is set-up.