Only weeks have passed since the 2011 Shambhala Music Festival wrapped up and already organizers have announced the dates for the 2012 festival, but with negative reviews from members of the RCMP floating around, organizers are reminding the public of the work they do to keep festival goers safe.
“Shambhala has always had a mind towards public safety, and this has improved over the years as we reflect after each festival on what worked, and what can be done better,” said Zak Matieschyn, Shambhala’s harm reduction team leader.
“This process has been assisted with the input of local community stakeholders including police, mental health workers, public health, emergency room staff, health educators, youth workers, and social support workers,” he said.
In the August 17 edition of the Star, RCMP sergeants Fred Mansveld and Derrick Donovan spoke out about the dark side of Shambhala.
“I’ve worked a lot of places throughout BC where there were similar activities and things got better each year, but I don’t foresee that happening with this event,” said Donovan who works with West Kootenay Traffic Services. “We’ve seen from our focus that things have gotten worse. We’ve been very fortunate, I believe, that there haven’t been more fatalities and serious injuries as a result.”
But Shambhala organizers and staff feel they are working hard to make sure festival goers are kept safe on site and as they leave after the festival.
“I believe that one of the biggest misconceptions about this festival is that it is a drug-fuelled party that is out of control,” said the festival’s public safety officer Barry Wilding.
“I have worked in the security industry for more than 15 years providing security services for concerts, music festivals and large-scale events, and Shambhala is something that I, as well as many of my associates, look forward to every year.
“Taking into consideration that for close to one week we have the population of a small town, on a per capita basis Shambhala has one of the lowest incident rates of any major festival I have been involved in,” he added.
Mansveld was concerned about drug overdoses and the use of an “overdose tent” at the festival, but staff said there is no such thing.
Britz Gilchrist, social media director for Shambhala said the sergeants may have been confusing the Sanctuary with an “overdose tent.”
The Sanctuary is in downtown Shambhala and is where people can go 24 hours a day if they need a safe quiet place to rest during the festival.
“The most common reason for visits to first aid is stubbed toes and minor cuts. That’s the bulk of what we see. Number two is dehydration and heat stroke. Our medical incident rate is somewhere around .08 per cent, which is low for our population size,” said Alex Chudis, first aid coordinator.
Mansveld and Donovan are concerned about the police resources needed during the festival weekend, but staff said the involvement of the public, like the RCMP, is important.
“Police and security work in concert,” said Wilding. “Police roadblocks and proactive patrolling are the first line of defense and have been very effective at preventing alcohol and drugs from coming into the festival and has a direct correlation to the decrease in on-site incidents whether those be security or first aid related. All vehicles that enter the festival grounds are subject to a search by security. Those who do not consent to a search are denied entry.”
“Our policy on drug use is the same as federal law — its use is illegal. However, we all know that in spite of laws to the contrary, people will still choose to use them and engage in potentially harmful activities,” said Matieschyn.
“This is where Shambhala is in alignment with many bodies including the World Health Organization and the BC provincial health authority to name a couple, as well as many eminent social and health policy scholars who feel the best way to decrease the harm associated with drug use is to offer education, non-judgmental counselling and support, and barrier free medical assistance when necessary,” he said.
RCMP who are out on the road as the festival wraps up and people head home, are as concerned about fatigue as they are about impaired drivers, but staff encourage festival goers to make sure they are well rested as they hit the road to head home.
“Fatigue factors in 19 per cent of fatal collisions, and 23 per cent of non-fatal collisions. And we don’t want you to be a statistic! We want all of our Shambhalovlies to get home safe,” read the festival Facebook site prior to the festival.
Staff also suggested a number of ways that people protect themselves as they head onto the road such as “plan a designated driver for Monday morning. As designated driver, you commit to getting at least eight hours of sleep before departure. Schedule a departure time. This makes it much easier to follow through with step one.”
Shambhala 2012 is slated to take place August 8 to 13 at the Salmo River Ranch.