Salt Lake City GER 12 16 7 35 USA 10 13 11 34 NOR 11 7 6 24 CAN 6 3 8 17 RUS 6 6 4 16 AUT 2 4 10 16 ITA 4 4 4 12 FRA 4 5 2 11 SUI 3 2 6 11 NED 3 5 0 8 Full 2002 table

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Safe spectators get high marks from Red Cross volunteers

By Lois M. Collins
Deseret News staff writer

      If Connie Harvey were handing out medals, she says she'd give a shiny gold one to the thousands of spectators crowding the Olympic venues and streets of Salt Lake City.
      "I think people are being very conscientious and very, very safe," said Harvey, one of about 600 American Red Cross volunteers helping out during the Olympics.
      "I don't know if it's partly because there are so many policemen and emergency crews around, but it seems to me that people are being very careful and are taking really good care of themselves."
      The American Red Cross has had 15 different aid stations set up in Salt Lake City and Park City since the torch run came through, each one staffed by someone inside the tent and at least two "rovers" walking through the crowds to offer assistance.
      Each of the volunteers has taken special, intensive, 40-hour emergency response training.
      They're ready to deal with major incidents, she said, but those have been very few and far between.
      The problems have instead been dehydration, especially in Park City, dizziness and a few people with chest pains, most likely from exertion and altitude combined.
      Before the snow melted, volunteers also saw some "slip and falls."
      That has left the volunteers plenty of time for their other primary tasks: injury prevention, which means notifying the Salt Lake Organizing Committee of any potential hazard, like slick spots; and taking care of the firemen, emergency medical teams and police who are taking care of the crowd.
      For them, the little tents mean lots of hot chocolate and coffee, as well as just a chance to get out of the wind for a minute.

E-MAIL: lois@desnews.com