Event ambulance service and event medical services are prerequisites to get JOC for events approved. People enjoy hosting outdoor events ranging from music events to sporting events, but a few of us know the law regulating the hosting of events. Did you know that according to the South African SAFETY AT SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL EVENTS ACT, 2009, all events must be approved by JOC events ( Joint Operations Committee). This includes having an ambulance service that provides paramedics for events.
What is the purpose of the JOC Event Act?
To provide for measures to safeguard the physical well being and safety of persons and property at sports, recreational, religious, cultural, exhibitions, organizational or similar events held at stadiums, event venues, or along a route to provide for the accountability of event role players, to provide for certain prohibitions of measures to deal with safety and security at events.
There are several pre-requisites, but in our blog, we shall focus only on the ambulance service, event medical services, and ambulance number ratios required at JOC events.
What does the Act say?
Event paramedics deployed at a JOC event, a stadium or an event venue or along a route and their respective precincts :
- Event medics must provide their cooperation and support, which is reasonably necessary, to enhance the safety and security at an event, when requested or directed to do so in terms of the Act;
- Ambulance service must at all times act following the provisions of the Act subject to their compliance with the relevant provisions of the Health Act, 1977 (Act No. 63 of 1977 as amended) and Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974 as amended)
- Event ambulance service must at all times act in terms of the safety and security event plan as provided for in terms of section 9(1)) of the Act;
- The ambulance service providing paramedics for events must ensure that the minimum medical services, facilities, equipment and categories of event medical personnel are deployed at an event as more fully contemplated in the JOC regulations promulgated by the Minister for Safety and Security.
What does the JOC event safety and security planning committee do?
Where required by a JOC event safety and security plan, the development of a fully comprehensive event ambulance service emergency medical plan including provision for hospital standby protocols, on-site paramedic event emergency medical facilities, minimum on-site deployments of medical personnel; ambulance services paramedics and emergency medical vehicles, emergency medical helicopter access protocols, an emergency medical staging area and emergency medical communication protocols.
Where required by a JOC event safety and security plan, the deployment of a mass casualty policy and protocol which incorporates disaster management and evacuation planning.
The installation of a fully equipped temporary or permanent emergency medical facility, which must be able to cater for simultaneous casualties caused by a large scale emergency incident at a stadium or venue or along a route or their respective precincts;
- The deployment, at a stadium or event venue, of one fully equipped and appropriately staffed public or private sector advanced life support paramedic ambulance service at a ratio of one such ambulance up to and including every 5000 spectators: the deployments shall be at a ratio of one such paramedic ambulance for every 10 000 spectators.
- The deployment of one fully equipped and appropriately staffed public or private sector intermediate life support ambulance service per 10 000 spectators.
- The deployment of one fully equipped and appropriately staffed, multi-purpose, mass casualty medical disaster ambulance or trailer for every 20 000 spectators or the availability of one fully and appropriately equipped mass casualty storeroom per 20 000 spectators.
for Ralmed event ambulance service contact Tel: 0861725633 or email Ralmed on info@ralmed.com