AUSTIN, Texas — Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) is initiating special events staffing for South by Southwest (SXSW) and the spring festival season starting Tuesday, March 15.
ATCEMS said the staffing will encompass the entertainment district surrounding Sixth Street, the Warehouse District and Rainey Street and will coincide with the busiest part of SXSW. Medics will also be assigned to the Austin Convention Center and the Palmer Events Center on days when programming is scheduled at each location.
ATCEMS said the staffing plan is designed to provide EMS response resources to manage all EMS requests within SXSW's footprint while also allowing 911 ambulances to remain available to calls in their normal response districts. The agency hopes to prevent or minimize any reduction in service for its regular 911 response ambulances during the festival.
ATCEMS said its "Patient Collection Point," located in the 200 block of East Fifth Street, will be in operation from Tuesday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. each day. The agency will geo-fence the SXSW footprint, allowing staff to be independent of the 911 system ambulances.
Special event resources – including special response units, motorcycle medics and demand ambulances – will be utilized within the festival's footprint.
ATCEMS said its staffing plan for SXSW will consist of:
- Shift chief representative in the Event Operations Center (EvOC)
- Medical branch officer within operations of the event
- Medics assigned to the Patient Collection Point (PCP)
- Special Response Units (SRUs)
- Motorcycle paramedics
- Dedicated transport ambulances
- Tactical dispatchers at the EvOC
- Medical Directors from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer
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