z-logo
Premium
Open air rock concert: an organised disaster
Author(s) -
Fulde Gordian W O,
Forster S Lesley,
Preisz Paul
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1992.tb141299.x
Subject(s) - mass gathering , triage , mass casualty incident , centennial , medical emergency , mass casualty , disaster medicine , plan (archaeology) , event (particle physics) , natural disaster , environmental planning , operations management , public relations , business , geography , medicine , engineering , political science , poison control , suicide prevention , nursing , public health , archaeology , physics , quantum mechanics , meteorology
Objective To describe the planning and implementation of health care provision at a mass gathering, and to describe the conditions treated at such an event. Setting When approximately 93 000 fans gathered outdoors in Sydney's Centennial Park, a natural reserve, for Australasia's largest ever outdoor rock concert, there was an obvious potential for medical disaster. Patients At most disasters or mass gatherings, accurate patient numbers and details are not available, but an organised patient data collection system allowed the case load at this event to be clearly defined. This showed that 450 patients were attended to by the first aid teams. Triage identified 36 of these as having conditions serious enough to require admission to the medical area. Seven of these patients were ultimately transferred to hospital. Results A brief practical outline is provided of the medical planning for the concert, detailing the staff and equipment, how to avoid potential problems, the use of voluntary organisations, and specific site organisation. Key points in the medical planning, organisation and practicalities, especially those which are vital to any disaster response, are highlighted. Conclusion Solutions to recurrent problems experienced by medical personnel involved with mass gatherings or disasters are suggested. The lack of practice in implementing a multiple casualty or disaster plan may be remedied by organised responses to mass events.

This content is not available in your region!

Continue researching here.

Having issues? You can contact us here