EMS ready for major incidents at SXSW

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Music and fun is the priority for an expected 300,000 people this next week in Austin, but the city's top priority is everyone's safety and health.

"As we transition to music we deploy more mobile assets," said Wesley Hopkins, Commander of Austin-Travis County EMS.

With hundreds of thousands of people jamming into one concentrated area, you have to expect emergencies.

That is why Austin-Travis County EMS has strategically planned out their operation during SXSW.

"This year we added a new special events trailer that is a medical station that will be in the 6th Street, " said Commander Hopkins. And "Polaris Rangers with stretchers on the back, that can help with crowed extractions on 6th Street. "

The added measures will allow medics to help people with minor injuries like cuts and dehydration,  freeing up their ambulances for more serious patients.

Of course with that many people, EMS is on stand by for any major incident.

The city's $500,000 dollar AM BUS would be deployed which can handle multiple victims, freeing up to 10 ambulances.

To make sure no single hospital is overwhelmed with patients at anytime, EMS will evenly distribute their ambulances to hospitals around town.