LifeFlight officials work hard to keep festival goers healthy. (Vanderbilt Health archive photo)
As Nashville prepares to welcome an estimated 95,000 daily attendees to downtown Nashville for the annual CMA Fest, Vanderbilt LifeFlight officials urge fans to stay safe this weekend with a few simple tips.
“CMA Fest is a remarkable annual event that shows why Nashville is Music City,” said Jennifer Detwiler, MSN, RN, CCRN, Executive Director of Event Medicine for Vanderbilt LifeFlight. “We love seeing attendees from all over the world join the festivities. Staying healthy and hydrated is key to being able to enjoy all four days of the event with your friends and family. We urge attendees to keep hydration and proper footwear top of mind as they prepare for the weekend.”
The Vanderbilt LifeFlight team, which has provided emergency medical coverage for the event since 2009, sees heat-related illness as the No. 1 concern.
Alcohol can worsen dehydration and interfere with the body’s ability to sweat, which is a natural cooling mechanism. This can lead to a lack of ability to recognize symptoms of heat exhaustion.
Treating heat-related illness requires cooling the body and infusing appropriate fluids for rehydration. To mitigate the chance of dehydration, visitors are encouraged to drink water or electrolyte-replacing sports drinks during the festival, even when you don’t feel thirsty.
The Vanderbilt LifeFlight event medicine team also treats numerous patients each year for foot blisters caused by improper footwear. An additional concern is sunburn, which not only affects attendee’s festival experience, but also has long-term impacts, including aging and melanoma.
With the forecast predicting sunny weather, the team recommends using sunscreen, protective clothing, and hats to prevent sunburn. Attendees are also encouraged to keep a rain poncho handy in case of unpredicted weather.
More than 100 Vanderbilt Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians, paramedics, registered nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors will work the four-day festival, putting in an anticipated 1,700 total hours. Five LifeFlight ambulances, three ATVs and five tents will be onsite for patient treatment and transport.
