Eclipse Readiness: Agencies Gear Up for Safety Challenges
March 13, 2024 by Dana Rasmussen
A total eclipse is expected to cover much of the United States, Canada, and Mexico on April 8. For public safety agencies in the path of totality, many questions remain.
As total darkness covers their region of Texas, officials with Hays County Combined Emergency Communications Center are concerned about what that might mean for emergency services.
According to Stephanie Robinson, director of Hays County CECC, this event is anticipated to bring more than three times the normal daily population into the county.
In addition, there will be large amounts of traffic and open-air events, which means police, fire, and EMS personnel will be working diligently to ensure safety.
“Whenever we have large events, it’s important that we are prepared to meet the everyday needs of the community along with whatever could happen as a result of having an influx of people in the community,” Robinson explained.
Robinson said two of the biggest issues that could happen as a result of the eclipse and influx of population are that response times are delayed due to heavy call volumes and cell coverage gets interrupted due to high demand.
To ensure all agencies within the county provide services the community expects, every agency within the county will be running all police, fire, and EMS personnel. In addition, they will have additional units from other agencies working to assist in the event they are needed.
They will also have staging areas set up for public safety and medical needs along with tow companies to remove any vehicles that may stall or otherwise need to be moved.
“We’re confident in our staff and our public safety solutions,” Robinson said. “When events of this nature occur, we take every precaution to ensure we are prepared for whatever could happen. This preparation helps us make the community safer, so they can enjoy themselves during a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It also helps us ensure we can facilitate call volumes with our CAD system so that the community experiences the same level of service that they expect.”