Every year tens of thousands of people descend on Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula for what locals call “Go Topless” weekend.
Originally named for the fact that Jeep enthusiasts use the weekend as the kick-off to the season of driving around town without the tops on their vehicles thanks to the warmer weather, the weekend traditionally takes place in the middle of May. This year’s festivities are planned for the weekend of May 18.
While attendees are drawn to the fun and revelry, for local first responders and medical professionals the celebration is a time filled with numerous calls, emergencies and more.
“It’s one of our busiest weekends,” said Miranda Culligan, nurse and program manager with UTMB Health Trauma Services in Galveston.
She noted that it’s not uncommon for UTMB Health to have more trauma cases that weekend than other busy times like Mardi Gras or Lone Star Rally. That’s why UTMB Health is one of the many organizations included in the Galveston County Emergency Management Services team’s planning efforts that take place months ahead of the event each year.
In addition to UTMB Health, the emergency planning group includes representatives from Galveston County Emergency Services District No. 2, the Sheriff’s Department, Department of Public Safety, Galveston County Constable Precinct 2, Galveston County Parks and Recreation and the National Weather Service.
During their meetings, which kicked off in February of this year and will continue monthly until the event, the teams discuss a variety of topics including the resources needed, response action plans, communications protocols for both radio and media operations, contingency plans for mass casualty incident (MCI) events, response times, traffic and weather impacts and more.
“As we’re planning, we keep certain things top of mind,” said Doug Saunders, district manager with Galveston County Emergency Services District No. 2. “These include first responder safety, maintaining continuity of services to residents during the event, and how we’ll provide care and treatment to those injured with on-hand supplies and equipment.”
Saunders’ first run with the annual event was in 2019, and it was a memorable one with more than 40,000 participants and 110 EMS calls in a 48-hour period. Luckily, for the event that year he initiated an incident action plan between his team and the volunteer fire departments on the Peninsula. Since then there’s been a unified command between the Sheriff’s Department and the Galveston County Emergency Services District No. 2 that allows the agencies to work together to assist each other and meet their ultimate goal of ensuring public safety.
With each passing year, the emergency planning team learns valuable lessons on how things can be improved in the future.
“Weather and tide can play a huge role in our response capabilities,” he said.
He went on to explain that because of those factors and the difficulty of locating people on a beach that stretches down a peninsula, agencies now have a heavier presence “in the sand” – a development he says came out of the planning meetings.
While the event is a big lift every year, Saunders and Culligan never lose sight of the fact that without teamwork, none of this would be possible.
“It takes all organizations working together to ensure services can be provided for this event,” he said. “It’s truly a team effort.”