NORWICH – With thousands expected to attend the Chenango County Fair through Sunday, fair organizers have safety at the forefront.

Handling everything from heat stroke to bee stings, volunteers at the fairgrounds EMS building are ready for whatever comes their way, said Chenango County Fair EMS Coordinator Jim Fowlston.

“There’s certain things we can do to treat people here without calling an ambulance,” Fowlston said, noting that the EMS building on the north side of the fairgrounds has all the emergency equipment of an ambulance, including trauma bandages, oxygen, air conditioning, water, blood pressure cuffs and defibrillators.

Of course, if a situation’s bad enough, an ambulance could be there in a hurry to take someone to the hospital, he added.

Just three days into the fair, EMS volunteers have already seen a number of cases where a fairgoer needs immedieate medical attention. On Tuesday, a girl was kicked in the arm by a cow in the livestock area; and on Tuesday and Wednesday, volunteers addressed the needs of several folks with heat exhaustion.