Arrests & Dozens Of Rescue Calls Made At Ultra Music Festival

 MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It was a busy first day for police and emergency crews at the 16th annual Ultra Music Festival in Miami Friday.

According to Miami Police, 22 people were arrested.  Fifteen of those arrests were felonies, six were misdemeanors, and one was for a traffic issue.

In addition to arrests, officials reported 48 rescue calls.  One of the calls was for a security guard who fell backward and hit her head when people rushed the fence.

Unndercover Miami police officers will be amongst the crowds to make sure everyone is following the rules.

The festival runs through Sunday and is one of the largest electronic music festivals in the world.

According to Ultra organizers the weekend brings about $79 million into South Florida's economy as 50 to 60 thousand people are expected each day of the three-day event.

Also there to help, if-needed, the Miami Fire Rescue will have about 60 firefighter paramedics working the event. They will be driving around in new vehicles the department designed and built in order to easily navigate crowds. The vehicles are equipped with first-aid care, similar to an ambulance, and they can transport patients if necessary.

For those who live downtown or plan on spending any time there over the weekend, travel will be almost non-existent. Road closures will extend through the weekend.

Here are some of the traffic closures to watch out for this weekend:

• Southbound traffic along Biscayne Boulevard will be detoured west at NE 4th Street to NE 2nd Avenue.
• Drivers will then use NE 2nd Avenue to get where they are going.
• Northbound Biscayne Boulevard drivers will experience lane closures and a shift to the southbound lanes at Southeast 1st Street.
• Northbound traffic will then continue north in the southbound lanes to NE 4th Street where it will be re-directed back into the regular northbound lanes.

If you don't plan on going to Ultra, you might want to avoid the area due to the noise, blocked roads and crowds.

Due to the congestion of downtown Miami and the difficulty in finding parking, attendees have been told to getting there by car is not the best option. They've been urged to use Metrorail and MetroMover.

Tri-Rail has announced that it will extend train service every night during the festival. The special train will leave the Metrorail Transfer Station at 1:45 a.m. Sunday, and at 1:00 a.m. on Monday. The entire schedule can be viewed at tri-rail.com.  Weekend fares are just $5 all day.

This year's Ultra Music Festival will feature three fully operational water refill stations, where water containers can be filled for free at any time. These locations will be clearly marked on the site map and within the festival's mobile app. Bottled water will still be widely available for those that prefer that option.