On Sunday, the Belgian Red Cross said it had dealt with more than 4,000 incidents during Dour Festival, which started last Wednesday and finished on Sunday. The teams will stay on site until 6pm on Monday. The final figure is estimated to be around 4,500: a new record.
Between the start of the Festival last Wednesday and the last evening on Sunday, the Red Cross teams dealt with over 4,000 incidents. “The majority of cases weren’t serious: sunburn, dizzy spells etc,” says Nancy Ferroni, the Red Cross spokesman. “We had to stitch up a few more wounds than last year. Around 60 people were sent to the region’s hospitals. Around a hundred more serious cases were due to alcohol consumption, and 200 to drug consumption”.
The Red Cross dealt with 4,100 incidents during Dour Festival 2014. “Our teams left at 6pm this year, whereas they usually leave at midday. We estimate there was a total of 4,500 incidents”, the spokesman added. “It was a busy year, especially as the Festival lasted an extra day”.
The Red Cross has been supervising Dour Festival since 1989. This was one of its biggest set ups this year. It was also the 27th Dour Festival. Around 130 first-aiders, 2 ambulances, 1 Smur car and a 4x4 for field incidents were available 24 hours a days from the 15th to the 20th of July.
A little “first-aid” village for Red Cross staff with dormitories, a mess hall, a mobile kitchen and rudimentary showers was set up last Wednesday. The “Red Cross” restaurant served around 2,000 meals Morning, Midday, Evening and night. It fed the first-aiders, as well as medical staff and firemen.
(Source: Belga)
