Behind the scenes at the U.S. Women's Open with those working to keep us safe

Posted: Jul 6, 2011 5:57 PM by Stephanie Collins
Updated: Jul 6, 2011 8:17 PM

With thousands of people expected to attend the U.S. Women's Open Championship this week, there's a need for crowd control and emergency assistance.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department, Police Department and Penrose St. Francis Hospital have set up mobile command centers. During the U.S. Senior Open a couple years ago, the fire department says they treated 350 people. They say they're no where near that number yet for this event, but emergency crews are on stand by to handle just about any situation, "Were pretty much prepared to handle any major incident. From a mass casualty type to all the minor stuff you'd expect from people being outside in the heat," explains emergency physician, Dr. Tim Hutado.

From cardiac arrests to blisters, to heat exhaustion and asthma calls, crews have responded to all kinds of calls. A majority of the patients they've seen are dehydrated, so if you're coming out to the U.S. Women's Open, bring lots of water. You also need to put on the sunscreen and eat frequently; if you follow one of the players, you'll be out in the elements for three hours or more.

The Colorado Springs Police Department is providing security, traffic control and assistance to medical crews. All of the agencies have been preparing for months for the event, now they just hope it all continues to run smoothly, "Hoping at the end of the event, nobody even notices that we were there," says Deputy Sheriff Rod Walker with CSPD.

Just remember your water, even with the cooler weather we had today, emergency crews say, you have to stay hydrated. The number of police and emergency responders will increase throughout the week as the crowds get larger.