Concert crews prepare for Boots and Hearts Festival

Concert crews are putting the final touches on at this week's Boots and Hearts concert held at Burls Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte.

The large parcel of land next to Highway 11 between Barrie and Orillia will be home to the annual Boots and Hearts concert starting Thursday.

With tens of thousands of people expected, police say the roads and highways will be very busy.

“We have re-jigged the traffic plan this year with the organizers to ensure there is less impact on the highway itself. We have vehicles coming off at alternative locations so Line 5 will be a main access point, Line 8 will remain closed for the entire weekend as it has in the past,” says Const. Brett Boniface with the OPP.

Police, fire, and paramedics have been preparing for the show and the crowds for months.

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Police will have 200 officers assigned to the festival. Paramedics will have at least 10 people on-site at all times.

Oro Medonte’s fire department is also preparing for a potentially busy weekend.

“Leading up to this we have done a great deal of preparation and training to deal with any potential access or emergency on-site, of course we are expecting an increase in motor vehicle collisions as a result of the increase in traffic to the area," says Roree Payment. 

As crews ready the grounds for the coming days, paramedics are also a big part of keeping the crowds safe starting Thursday night.

“The majority of the calls we see tend to be dehydration, heat exhaustion, and sun exposure so what we try to ask everyone is to be diligent and smart and bring some water with them maybe a hat for some cover because there is not a lot of shade around the event as well as some sunscreen,” says Patrick Hervieux with Simcoe County Paramedics.

The multi-day event kicks off on Thursday and runs until Sunday night.