At the flower parade in Valkenswaard on Sunday afternoon, a participant who was dancing on top of a float from the Graafschap hamlet became unwell due to the heat. The parade was halted for an hour while ambulance crews and firefighters tried to help the woman. After an hour the parade resumed.
The emergency workers needed a ladder to reach the woman, who was standing on the back of the car. Two large parasols that were on the side were brought up to cool the woman on top of the car.
The woman is doing well. “She was taken to the hospital to be sure,” says chairman Gabriella Buijs, who calls it the warmest edition ever. “We then consulted with the safety coordinator, asked the neighborhoods and the mayor for input. Do we continue driving? There was no reason to stop definitively.” The float of the Graafschap hamlet has been removed from the parade.
Of the 13 large cars that participated, 11 eventually finished. “One hamlet stopped because rumors were that the first aid advised all hamlets not to allow people to stand on the floats anymore because of the tropical weather,” says chairman Gabriella Buijs. “They felt that this no longer reflected their act well. But that call did not come from us. We also don’t know from whom. It caused confusion, because some neighborhoods removed extras and other neighborhoods did not.”
Extra drink breaks
At 32 degrees it was hard for the pushers to move the carts. “But we have extra drinking breaks, so it is manageable,” said a man who is bracing himself to push a heavy cart. Another participant who walks with a cart has sweat on his forehead. “It’s a little too warm,” she laughs. “But we have plenty of drinks in the cart.”
The organization had installed three additional water points and had also asked the hamlets in advance to bring extra water. There were also extra drinking breaks of five minutes each. As a result, the parade took a little longer.
It was also a little quieter along the side. Many viewers wore shorts and brought a chair and sought cooling in the shade. “We also reminded visitors that they had to drink enough. But every now and then a first aid person had to go,” says Ruijs.