New Year's Eve in Voorschoten Passed Without Major Incidents

New Year’s Eve in the Hollands Midden Safety Region, of which Voorschoten is a part, proceeded smoothly for emergency services. Despite a busy night for the collaborating emergency services, there were no unusual or large-scale incidents. Most of the work involved extinguishing trash fires and dumpster fires.

Mayor Nadine Stemerdink is pleased with how New Year’s Eve went in Voorschoten. “Just like last year, we thoroughly prepared for New Year’s Eve together with the emergency services and the municipality’s field services. For example, we informed residents via the website, social media, and newspapers about fireworks-free zones and waste disposal. Well-prepared, we can now look forward to all the fun, meaningful, and exciting things that await us in 2024.”

Close cooperation in the region

To ensure a safe New Year’s Eve, emergency services worked closely together. In preparation, municipalities, the police, the fire department, the ambulance service, and public works departments prepared for various scenarios. Additional staff were deployed to the emergency dispatch center to handle the large number of calls that always come in during New Year’s Eve.

Within the Hollands Midden Safety Region, close cooperation with the police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office has once again taken place this year to implement a zero-tolerance policy against aggression and violence directed at emergency responders. Aggression and violence against emergency responders are unacceptable. For this reason, reports are filed immediately against suspects in such cases. Through the expedited court process, they are then required to appear in court at very short notice. As of 5:00 a.m., a complete overview of any reports filed by emergency services was not yet available. In general, emergency services were able to carry out their duties in relative safety.

Fire Department

The fire department in the Hollands Midden Safety Region once again handled a large number of calls this New Year’s Eve. Between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., a total of 95 calls were handled, compared to 111 calls last year and 148 calls the year before. The downward trend in fire department responses over the past few years has thus continued this year.

Across virtually the entire safety region, fire departments were dispatched to respond to small outdoor fires and container fires. In a number of cases, the fire department was called to respond to vehicle fires. The fire department in Voorschoten was dispatched around 2:00 a.m. to a building fire. The fire department was able to prevent the fire from spreading, thereby limiting the damage.

Police

The police in Hollands Midden helped ensure a safe New Year’s Eve. There were no major incidents in the region during the police operation. There was close cooperation between the various emergency services. For example, the Mobile Unit in Alphen aan den Rijn assisted the fire department in extinguishing a bonfire.

Medical Care

Between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., there was no significant difference in the number of patients at the three hospitals and urgent care centers in the region compared to last year. The Midden Holland Urgent Care Center reported a relatively higher number of fireworks-related consultations compared to the other healthcare facilities. In total, the healthcare facilities treated eleven victims with fireworks-related injuries.

Eight people were treated for injuries sustained in fights, and one person was treated following a traffic accident. The ambulance dispatch center was primarily busy handling calls related to alcohol-related injuries. In total, six victims of alcohol intoxication were treated at healthcare facilities, and two people with drug-related symptoms were treated. No reports were received of physical violence or aggression against healthcare providers.

Inspection of Fireworks Sales

The Midden-Holland Environmental Agency (ODMH) and the West-Holland Environmental Agency (ODWH) conduct annual inspections of the storage and sale of fireworks by businesses in the Hollands Midden Safety Region. Prior to the sales days, ODMH inspectors checked the fireworks sales locations for compliance with the requirements set forth in the Fireworks Decree. These inspections revealed that all sales locations met the established requirements. No violations were found.

During the sales days (December 28, 29, and 30), inspectors visited the sales locations again. New Year’s Eve fell on a Sunday this year. The sale of fireworks is not permitted on this day. The inspectors conducted another round of inspections on this day to ensure that the fireworks sales locations were not selling fireworks. No violations were found during these inspections either.

A complete overview of the New Year’s Eve celebrations can be found on the Hollands Midden Safety Region website: www.vrhm.nl/jaarwisseling-2023-2024.