Is Your Event Prepared for a Medical Emergency?

Are you prepared for a medical emergency at your next event?  Regularly, event organizers just plan on calling 911 incase a medical emergency happens, however there is value in hiring professional EMTs and Paramedics incase someone has a medical episode or gets injured.  The biggest value comes in time savings.

Even in the most urban setting it can take upwards of ten to fifteen minutes for an ambulance or fire department to arrive on scene after a medical or traumatic emergency has occurred and in a rural environment it can take even longer!  I know this is a bold statement to make, but let’s break down what happens when someone needs medical attention at an event:

  1. The event attendee has to suffer a medical or traumatic episode.
  2. Someone has to recognize that there is an issue. This can be anywhere from immediately to several minutes.
  3. Onsite resources (ie. security, ushers, event organizers) have to respond to locate the incident. This can take several minutes.
  4. Someone calls 911 and notifies the local responders of the emergency. This may take two to five minutes just for the 911 operator to screen the call and gather the needed information.
  5. The call then has to be sent to the appropriate responding agency and the resources have to respond. Industry standards in emergency response is that resources have their wheels rolling within two minutes.
  6. The emergency resources then have to drive to the parking location of the incident. For larger events traffic may be of major concern.  Even with the fire department or ambulance service in the vicinity of the event it may take five minutes or more to drive and park on site.
  7. Then the responders have to walk their equipment and gear to the location of the patient. Once again, depending on parking, crowd density, and location of the sick or injured guest, this can take several minutes.

Given these factors, it could even be longer than fifteen minutes to get emergency resources on scene!  Meanwhile, a guest of your event is suffering and needs medical treatment.  There are many time sensitive medical problems that can occur at an event including cardiac arrest, strokes, seizures, and diabetes.  Having medical services on scene at an event means that these guests have immediate access to medical care, which can mean the difference between life and death.  According to the American Heart Association, a victim of sudden cardiac arrest will have a 100% chance of death if immediate CPR and defibrillation are not started within minutes of their heart stopping.  Waiting for 911 resources is often a death sentence for these people if immediate CPR and defibrillation is not provided!

In addition, having medical services on scene of your event can lead to a more positive image for your event in many ways. First of all, the majority of sick and injured guests we see at events are treated on scene which means that an ambulance or fire engine is not being sent to the event. When event attendees see other event attendees being transported on gurneys and ambulance/fire department personnel on scene the safety of the event may be questioned.  Secondly, many of the patients we see at special events can achieve higher levels of care (ie. primary care physician, urgent care, emergency room) through alternative transport means including taxi and Uber/Lyft, which once again means that ambulances and fire engines are not coming through your event.  And lastly, onsite event medical personnel ensure proper and thorough documentation of medical issues.  For example, Guardian Elite Medical Services provides a detailed report at the end of every event showing how many event participants we treated, which is important for future event planning to make sure that participants are being properly treated.

In conclusion, having medical personnel at all special events is a best practice of event organizers to ensure that event participants receive timely medical care.

About: Guardian Elite Medical Services, LLC. is an ambulance service based in Las Vegas, NV that provides medical services to over 500 special events per year. Guardian Elite Medical Services, LLC. is proud member of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events and provides these services for a discounted rate to IAEE members.  For more information on event medical coverage at your next event call 702-436-7911 or email at info@gemslv.com.