Drought a Concern For Music Festivals

By Brian Miller

CREATED Jul. 13, 2012

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  • The sun beats down on thousands of music fans in the Fox Valley as another heat wave invades Northeast Wisconsin. Add the lack of rain and the Badger State is baking with burn bans through the upcoming weekend. Video by nbc26.com

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 OSHKOSH-- The heat and drought like conditions are a main concern for first responders at a pair of music festivals in Winnebago county this weekend. Hundreds of thousands of music fans are expected to show up at "Rock USA" and "Lifest." 

The Oshkosh fire department 's main job at Rock USA is to provide first aid and deal with heat related injuries. But that's not all Battalion Chief Jim Austad is looking out for. "We're really concerned about fires out in this area, if you look at the campground campers are actually positioned very close to each other any small fire could turn into  a big fire very quickly," Austad said. 

The Oshkosh fire department has nine people working the Rock USA event. The Red Cross and other local agencies are also on hand. One person was treated for a heat related illness Thursday, the festival's opening day.