Law enforcement and emergency crews out for Cole County Fair

The Cole County Fair opens its gates on Monday. Authorities are expecting big crowds through the week and said they will be out in full force to ensure safety and security.

Law enforcement will have several people patrolling the carnival area and parking lot. Authorities will be running operations out of a mobile emergency center on the fairgrounds. All calls coming from authorities and emergency crews on the fairgrounds will go to the operations center.

Cole County EMS said at least six EMS workers will handle health emergencies.

Officials said even though it is supposed to be cooler through the week, it is still important to take precautions for heat-related illnesses.

“Looks can be deceiving, even though there’s cloud cover, people are still susceptible to heat emergencies. Stay hydrated, come out, have a great time, take some breaks, eat some small meals, try avoid the alcoholic beverages assuming that they’re going to hydrate you because they’re not,” Kevin Wieberg, with Cole County EMS, said.

Authorities said they hope for the best but plan for the worst and they do have an incident action plan if the worst were to happen.

Authorities said backpacks, beverages of any kind, chairs and weapons are prohibited.

The Cole County Fair runs until July 30.