AMHERST — Four Amherst Fire Department ambulances will be staffed and four out-of-town standby ambulances will be present in town Saturday night, part of an effort to reduce dependence on mutual aid on Halloween.
A year after a four-hour period on Halloween saw 30 patients transported by ambulance from Amherst to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, most related to consuming too much alcohol, the town, with support from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst College and Hampshire College, is taking additional steps to keep everyone safe.
Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren said the extensive preparation comes after the fire and police departments have both seen a surge in incidents during recent Halloween celebrations.
“Historically Halloween has not been that busy, but that has changed drastically,” Stromgren said.
He observed that the holiday is now rivaling the number of incidents the town sees during the pre-St. Patrick’s Day revelry, on the last Saturday before spring break begins.
With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, “we’re a little concerned about it,” Stromgren said.
Five additional firefighters who are not assigned to the ambulances will be available to provide medical care from other trucks if needed, an intermediate step meant to reduce the need to call in ambulances from other communities. Last year, 22 of the 41 EMS calls, which led to 30 transports, were handled by out-of-town agencies.
While there won’t be a formal emergency operations center, Stromgren said someone will be staying in touch with the hospital.
“We are not opening an EOC, but we will have a direct line to a supervisor at Cooley Dickinson,” Stromgren said.
Dr. Sundeep “Sunny” Shukla, associate chief medical officer of Cooley Dickinson Hospital and an emergency medicine attending physician, said in a statement that as a hospital closely connected to the communities it serves, it constantly evaluates how to ensure timely, high-quality care, adjusting typical operational plans on holidays and for other big events.
“For Halloween this year, we have coordinated with local colleges, municipal officials and fire departments to ensure a comprehensive approach to care,” Shukla said. “We have also increased staffing in our Emergency Department, opened additional areas to accommodate patients, and coordinated closely with our hospital-based emergency preparedness teams and Mass General Brigham’s to remain responsive to any changes in patient volume.”
Shukla added that these steps are a precaution, with the hope that everyone will have fun, but also remain safe.
The Amherst Fire Department is also working closely with Amherst Police and the University of Massachusetts police.
Police officers have been doing some community policing in neighborhoods near the UMass campus, such as Fearing Street and Sunset Avenue, engaging in conversations with students. Last year, roughly during the same time when the ambulances were transporting patients, police arrested or summoned 46 individuals to court on various charges, including disorderly conduct, minor in possession of alcohol and violating the town’s open container bylaw.
UMass is implementing a policy that non-student guests, except for faculty, staff and emergency and healthcare responders, are prohibited from entering dormitories from Thursday at 8 p.m. through Sunday at 11 p.m. During that time, any student living on campus can sign in up to two other UMass Amherst students.
Residence hall security desk hours will also be expanded during this period.
Hampshire College, which is winding down operations, has asked that Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus service to the campus be suspended Saturday as a way to discourage non-Hampshire students from being dropped off there. Earlier in the semester, a large student party, attended mostly by non-Hampshire students, was broken up in the woods on campus.
Town Manager Paul Bockelman said the planning is important to keep people of all ages safe in Amherst, observing that there will also be trick-or-treating by youth throughout neighborhoods.
Halloween night also marks the end of daylight saving time, with clocks falling back an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday. Bars will still close at 1 a.m.
