Mass Gathering: Indianapolis, Indiana 2024 Eclipse

Introduction: An estimated one million people traveled to the state of Indiana to view the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse, with over 125,000 of them coming to the city of Indianapolis. This study seeks to evaluate the impact of this large mass gathering on Fire and Emergency Medical Services call volume and response times, as well as interhospital transfer volume. Methods: Call volumes and response times for the Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) were analyzed for the following date ranges (all 2024): 3/29-4/4, 4/5-4/11, and 4/12-4/18. Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services (IEMS) call volumes and response times, as well as interhospital transfer (IHT) volume for Indiana University-affiliated hospitals (Indianapolis region) were analyzed for the following date ranges (all 2024): 3/5-4/4, 4/5-4/11, and 4/12-5/10. Results: IFD total call volume, average daily call volume, and mean response times: for 3/29-4/4: 1074 (153.4), 0:04:16 (urban); 323 (46.1), 0:05:15 (rural.) For 4/5-4/11: 1062 (151.7), 0:04:11 (urban); 334 (47.7), 0:05:31 (rural.) For 4/12-4/18: 1193 (170.4), 0:04:08 (urban); 368 (52.6), 0:04:58 (rural.) IEMS total call volumes, average daily volume, and mean response times: for 3/5-4/4: 11706 (377.6), 0:08:25. For 4/5-4/11: 2763 (394.7), 0:08:38. For 4/12-5/10: 11899 (410.3), 0:08:17. IHT total volume and daily average volume: For 3/5-4/4: 2632 (84.9) For 4/5- 4/11: 567 (81) For 4/12-5/10: 2537 (87.5). Conclusion: There was minimal variation in response times for either IFD or IEMS during the week of the eclipse compared to the surrounding time frames. There was minimal variation in call volume for IFD, IEMS, and HTV during similar weeks. This could be due to multiple factors, including minimal impact of the mass gathering on emergency medical services or transfers, the large geographic area of the mass gathering, adequate anticipatory preparation, the peaceful nature of the gathering, or other undetermined variables.