Nashville is bracing for a weekend shin-dig that's going to be more crowded than a honky-tonk on a Saturday night. The Department of Emergency Communications (DEC) is putting in some elbow grease to handle a slew of downtown events with an expected herd of 100,000 folks. Headlining the weekend are the Nashville Predators clawing their way through the playoff series at Bridgestone Arena and country star Morgan Wallen crooning at Nissan Stadium.
In a statement obtained by the City of Nashville's official website, Public Information Officer James Matthews said, anticipating a weekend packed with events, "Our top priority is providing residents, visitors, and our partners serving in the field the highest level of service." He's nudging everyone to be alert and play nice with the game plan to make sure everybody's got a grin on their face by the end of it, and if trouble knocks on your door, the DEC's got your back.
Now, here’s the scoop on what the DEC has cooking: They've got more hands on deck with bumped-up operations staffing to handle those 9-1-1 calls speedier than a Nashville hot chicken gets gobbled. Those emergency maestros, known as the Nashville Telecommunicator Emergency Response Team (NTERT), will be making sure downtown Nashville is as safe as a church on Sunday while the regular call takers and dispatchers keep the home fires burning.
On deck for the hootenanny is a solid lineup of law enforcement, fire officials, and the usual suspects in the emergency response circle, who've all been working tighter than a banjo string to keep things smoother than Tennessee whiskey. Just in case anyone's knees go weak in the heat of it all, the DEC's hotline to heaven is the "three ones" – dial 9-1-1 for emergencies that are hotter than a pepper sprout. For everything else that’s not lights and sirens, Nashvillians got HubNashville in their back pocket, which is the city's go-to for all non-emergency jabber via web, app, or just a simple ring to 3-1-1.
With more than 700 events a year under its belt, the DEC is not exactly a stranger to the rodeo, but a weekend like this one's got them pulling out all the stops. So if you're heading downtown, tip your hat to the folks keeping you safe, and remember, in the wise words cusped straight from the mouth of Matthews, "We hope you don't need to call us, but should you have to, know that you will be connected to the best of the best on the other side of the phone."
