Whether or not you’re a first-time competition goer or a seasoned professional following these tips to staying secure at festivals will permit you and your mates to get probably the most out of your competition expertise.
Get your bearings
Festivals may be on sprawling websites and really feel overwhelming. Orientate your self by attending to know the place the tenting, first support and bathroom areas are.
Private security
Keep related. You’re much less prone to get hassled in a bunch the place you possibly can look out for each other. Persist with associates, have a delegated assembly place the place you possibly can regroup in the event you get separated from your mates, take a cellphone and a photo voltaic charger.
Persist with nicely lit, populated areas, notably at evening.
Concentrate on potential hassle brewing and attempt to keep away from it.
Take a private security alarm.
Security of belongings
The commonest crime at festivals is theft so go away your valuables at dwelling. Carry your financial institution card/money/ cell on you always, even at evening. Some festivals provide private lockers.
Drink and medicines
Drink and medicines have an effect on your judgement and your capacity to react in an emergency.
Try to regulate your alcohol consumption. Attempt the one-to-one ration of alcohol and water, alternating a bottle of water for each alcoholic drink.
If you’re going to take medicine, strive to not combine substances. Beware about shopping for on website from folks you don’t know.
Drug testing
More and more festivals provide drug testing areas the place chemists take a look at the content material of leisure substances to verify they aren’t laced with dangerous nasties. Healthcare professionals focus on the outcomes and supply ‘hurt discount recommendation’. About half of the competition goers who used the testing service disposed of the medicine with out taking them, or used much less of them. In consequence, hospitalisations on the festivals the place drug testing has been supplied was decreased.
Drinks spiking
Preserve your drinks with you always. Each alcohol and delicate drinks may be spiked with medicine. There’s a worrying pattern of secretly including MDMA or ketamine to water bottles and providing them to unsuspecting competition goers. Bear in mind and by no means settle for drinks from anybody apart from shut and trusted associates.
Medical assist
In the event you or a pal overdoes it or are involved a few substance you’ve gotten consumed, head straight for the festivals’ medical station the place you may get reassurance and any remedy that could be wanted.
Competition employees and medical employees are used to coping with individuals who have overdone it and are there to assist to not decide you.
When you’ve got a medical situation, take sufficient of your remedy with you and have it on you always. Let your mates find out about your situation or put on a medical-alert bracelet or tag.
Sexual well being
Many festivals give condoms away without cost.
Bear in mind condoms can shield in opposition to pregnancies and sexually transmitted illnesses however are susceptible to oil-based merchandise you typically discover at festivals similar to solar cream, moist wipes and sanitiser hand gel. Some competition medical centres provide the Morning After Capsule if required.
Crime
In case you are unfortunate sufficient to be a sufferer of against the law, do report it to the police or the competition safety as quickly as potential so you may get the suitable assist and chances are you’ll stop another person from turning into a sufferer.
Emergency
Have your financial institution emergency quantity handy so you possibly can cancel your financial institution playing cards if they’re misplaced or stolen.
Take a be aware of your telephones IMEI quantity which is a singular to your cellphone. This code permits you to cancel its entry to the community in the event you lose it or it’s stolen. Discover it by means of your telephones settings menu or by dialling *#06# and make an observation of the lengthy quantity that seems in your display screen.
Take a taxi quantity and an inventory of emergency contacts in addition to competition associates cell numbers.
Preserve a separate be aware of those numbers and never in your cell phone so you possibly can nonetheless search assist in the event you lose your cellphone.
Crowd crush
Feeling claustrophobic can result in emotions of panic. Bear in mind if you’re in entrance of the stage that it’ll turn into crowded behind you and you’re going to get much less area. Crowd surges do occur, so attempt to place your self barely to the facet of the stage.
At all times know your exit and attempt to place your self close to crowd management employees. If you wish to keep away from a crush leaving, then make for the exit earlier than the final music. In the event you do have emotions of panic, strive lengthy gradual calming breaths.
Learn our full article on panic assaults click on right here.
Slips, journeys and falls
Many festivals now have onsite X-rays machines for the breaks and fractures occurring throughout festivals. These can occur from dancing within the mosh pit or crowd browsing or accidents from crowd crush. Notably widespread are ankle accidents from slipping within the mud. Carrying ankle-protecting footwear can provide appropriate assist to keep away from this.
Collapse
One of the crucial widespread explanation for collapse at music festivals isn’t due to substances folks have taken, however as a result of somebody hasn’t drunk sufficient water.
At a competition it may be much more essential to prime up your H20 ranges to spice up water misplaced by means of ingesting alcohol and taking medicine which might trigger overheating and critical dehydration. Or to fight dehydration attributable to an excessive amount of solar. Add to this staying up late, partying arduous and tenting – all of it takes their toll on self-care.
The signs of dehydration are: feeling thirsty or drained, complications, passing darkish or sturdy smelling urine, feeling dizzy or mild headed, peeing little – fewer than 4 instances per day, affected by dry mouth, lips and eyes and collapse.
At its most extreme, dehydration can result in confusion and disorientation, a weak and fast pulse and seizures and requires hospital therapy.
In the event you really feel chances are you’ll be dehydrated, you should up your water consumption instantly. Be sure you drink fluids in small sips, more and more your consumption step by step. Attempt to eat excessive water content material meals similar to ice lollies or fruits similar to watermelon. You possibly can additionally rehydrate with oral rehydration sachets.
To learn our article on staying hydrated at festivals click on right here
To guide your teenager onto our upcoming first support course to provide them confidence and expertise to know the way to assist maintain themselves and their associates secure in an emergency click on right here
Emma Hammett is an skilled nurse and first support coach, she has labored in lots of areas together with A&E, Youngsters’s Ward, Burns Unit and Acute medical and surgical wards earlier than turning into hospital supervisor of Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals. In 2007, she based First Assist for Life and is shortly going to publish her second guide, Burns, Falls and Emergency Calls – The final word information to the prevention and therapy of childhood accidents.Emma can also be the founding father of First Assist for Pets providing first support coaching programs on your pets https://firstaidforpets.internet/
