University Hospitals provides medic tent at Canfield Fair

CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – Canfield fairgoers may notice something new this year not far from the grandstand. It’s a cooling tent brought in by staff with University Hospitals of Cleveland.

The tent offers benches and fans spraying a cooling mist. Firefighters filled them with water Wednesday morning to get them ready.

“Just somewhere that folks can get in, get some misting air, just try to get cooler off. We’re trying to eliminate some of the folks that are having to come to the ER,” said Andy Frost, with the Canfield Fair Board.

Laura Frost, a nurse with University Hospitals, said it’s important to get out of the heat.

“Making sure that we have some shade and somewhere for people to go to really cool down so that they don’t end up in a true heat emergency,” she said.

The misting tent sits across from the staging area for local fire departments and EMS teams that serves as a fully functioning field hospital on the fairgrounds. It is staffed to treat anything from a sprained wrist and bee sting up to burns and serious injuries.

“University Hospitals has really stepped up for us. They have nursing staff, they bring paramedics, and they’re staffed with physicians as well,” Andy Frost said.

In extreme cases, medics can bring patients to the hospital station and put them in specialized tanks that can be filled with ice and water to help cool them down. They were used several times last year.

On average, medics respond to about 100 calls a year at the fair. Roughly 15% are heat-related. Experts say it is important to stay hydrated, even suggesting drinking fluids the night before you go and dressing appropriately for the conditions.

“We’re here if you need us, but we don’t want to see you. We want you to enjoy the fair,” Laura Frost said.

Here’s everything you need to know about attending the Canfield Fair.

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