Medical standby at an event is the provision of emergency medical care for the participants and spectators at a pre-planned event.
Since 2012 Relay EMS has provided Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to various events of varying sizes. Our staff and vehicles have travelled everywhere, providing event medical services to sporting, cultural, and corporate events, from indoor to outdoor, on land, to sea and river, and from extreme to mild. Nothing has deterred us from providing the best in industry medical standby.
Event medical services can be a last-minute consideration and a rushed decision based on who is available and what they charge. In our experience, these are a few essential aspects that you need to consider for your event.
- What is the risk category of your event?
- How many participants and spectators do you expect?
- Do you require an on-site ambulance?
- What type of qualified medical staff do you require?
- Should the worst-case scenario occur, does the EMS provider you choose have the necessary backup resources to assist?
- Does your EMS provider have Public Liability and Medical Malpractice Insurance in place?
- Is your EMS provider compliant with the necessary legislation?
Compliance with legislation is vital for Relay EMS, as a provider of event medical services, and for the event organiser. The event medical service provider must have a current Department of Health Medical Services licence issued by their provincial Department of Health. The Department of Health renews this licence annually by inspecting the EMS provider according to the pre-set inspection criteria. As an event’s organiser, you must ensure that your EMS provider has a valid licence in place, and the licence must be in the name of the registered EMS provider and not that of a third party.
Relay EMS will ensure that your event complies with the following legislation:
- Regulations Relating to Emergency Care at Mass Gathering Events Act, No 61 of 2003
- National Road Traffic Act regulating ambulances.
- Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act, No. 2 of 2010.
- Health and Safety at Events, SANS 10366 of 2012.
- Relay EMS has its Emergency Medical Services Certificate of Compliance as set out by the Emergency Service Regulations, 2017.
Relay EMS has:
- Public liability insurance.
- Medical malpractice insurance.
Pre-planning is a critical aspect of your event. Our events coordinator will meet with you to look at the previous history of the event, considering the type and nature of injuries, the terrain, potential high-risk areas, the number of participants and expected spectators and the event risk category. In doing this, we can look at ways to reduce injuries and allocate resources to potential high-risk areas. We will also consider the distance from the event to the closest medical facility and how we will transport patients to the medical facility without taking away from the medical standby provided for your event.
Relay EMS will provide you with a detailed event plan; this plan is shared with the staff at your event, ensuring that each person knows their role and what is expected. After the event, you will receive a report on the incidents and overall feedback.
Relay EMS can provide your event with the following:
- Medical staff with various levels of qualification.
- Medical equipment.
- An equipped medical area or a medical centre if required.
- Ambulances, Rapid Response, Off-road Vehicles, Motor Bikes, and a Rubber Duck.
- Live tracking of our vehicles.
- Venue Operation Centre (VOC).
- Radio communication infrastructure between our VOC, the staff at the event and our Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
- Operational support from our on-duty crews.
With Relay EMS at your side, you and your attendees can enjoy the event to its fullest, knowing that your event’s medical safety and the care of your participants and spectators are in our hands.
For more information or to book your next event with Relay EMS, reach out to us via email to Julia at events@relayems.co.za