Deaths at SoCal rave a reminder of danger that can come in waves

The deaths of three people, including a San Francisco man, at a massive Southern California rave over the weekend are stark reminders of the potential danger of mixing so-called party drugs with a hot, exhausting dance scene that stretches for hours, emergency care and public health experts said Tuesday.

The last major incident was in 2010, during an event at the Cow Palace in Daly City, when one man died after an ecstasy overdose and nine people were hospitalized.

Nearly 600 law enforcement officers patrolled the rave and authorities made 325 arrests over the weekend, mainly for drug-related offenses, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials.

Festival organizers had three emergency physicians and 20 nurses staffing the event, plus dozens of other medics, said spokeswoman Alexandra Greenberg.

Emergency room physicians attended public meetings, talking about the deaths and permanent injuries that resulted from overdoses.

Police and public health authorities talked about the drain on resources when they had to respond to emergencies at parties.

People who are injured or die from drug use at raves typically suffer from hyperthermia — an extended, extreme increase in body temperature.

[...] if people are buying drugs at the party, they may end up with a pill laced with something they didn’t intend to take, like cocaine or methamphetamine, and inadvertently overdose.

Festival organizers have a responsibility to protect attendees, said Mitchell Gomez, national outreach director with DanceSafe, a nonprofit that promotes health and safety for people at clubs and raves.

Organizers should have a plan in place that includes plenty of water, on-site police and medical personnel, and easy access to treatment, he said.

Hard Summer festival organizers said they did take steps to protect attendees — not only hiring police and medical staff, but also providing free water and places for people to rest and cool off.

“In the rave scenario, where everyone is partying and it’s hot and you’re not keeping hydrated, or you’re over-hydrated, I don’t think there’s a way to completely avoid the inherent risk of these drugs,” said Dr. Craig Smollen, co-medical director of the San Francisco division of California Poison Control and an emergency physician at San Francisco General Hospital.