– Cold and alcohol are a scary combination, and we fear that some party organizers do not take this into account, says Dag Hovden, head of service at Valle and Bykle police station to Dagbladet.
At the start of Easter week, he felt compelled to publish in the local newspaper Agderposten to warn about illegal parties in Easter Mountain.
The background is the experiences from such a party in 2018, when 1,200 paying guests turned up at Breiveskaret to enjoy brought alcohol.
– It ended with 15 people having to be treated by a doctor due to intoxication and hypothermia. In a small municipality like ours, the healthcare emergency services were tied up here for several hours, says Hovden.
– Bring this!
The organizer supports the warning
The warning comes after the police have noticed that the event will be held again.
The friends-friends party “Påsketuren” traditionally takes place at Hovden in Setesdalen during Easter week, as it has done since 2008.
This year, it is admittedly not held in the open, but at Fjellgarden Hovden, which has a liquor licence.
– This year it is in a slightly smaller version, where we have invited good old participants to a kind of reunion. It will be a nice group with around 200 guests, and everything will be taken care of, says co-organiser Ole Heffermehl to Dagbladet.
He emphasizes that the organizers fully support the policeman’s warning.
– We have seen how wrong it can go, says Heffermehl.
He says that the organizers in 2018 were not familiar with the rules that apply to larger events.
– After that, I have familiarized myself with the existing laws and learned a lot. It’s not just about organizing a big party, at least not in the mountain home, where things can easily go wrong.
Must notify the police
You must notify the police when you have plans for an event in a public place, or if the event is “generally accessible”.
If the event is of a certain scope, you must also apply for a permit.
– This way the police can fulfill their responsibility for their own capacity and towards the event, to ensure the quality of risk assessments and preparedness, so that the public’s safety is safeguarded, explains Hovden.
This is what he is keen to convey.
The fad in 2018 put a strain on the organiser, who will warn everyone who wants to enjoy alcohol in the cold – even in smaller groups.
– We have seen how little is needed before you risk being severely cooled. We just want people to take care of each other, and not forget that when the blood alcohol level rises. Although it may be warm in the air, the snow is freezing cold.
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