Safe, Simple and Fun

SAFE, SIMPLE, FUN:
MEDICAL SUPPORT PLANNING FOR

EVENTS
Mamie Wheeler, RN
Medical Director & Asst Event Director, Portland Marathon
August 16, 2012
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Endurance | MEDICAL SUPPORT PLANNING FOR EVENTS
WEBINAR FORMAT
Presentation: How to submit a question:
• 30 - 40 minutes Click on the “Q&A” tab
• Q&A to follow on the top right-hand side
of your screen and type
Audio: dial-in toll-free into the text window
(877) 828-7408
Conference ID 223 171 91
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TODAY’S SPEAKER
Mamie Wheeler, RN
― Portland Marathon
⁃ Medical Director for 24 years
⁃ Assistant Event Director
― Consultant/coordinator for endurance events on
medical support planning
Mamie with Les Smith, Event

Director of the Portland Marathon
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THE GOLDEN RULES
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THE GOLDEN RULES
Golden Rule #1
― Safety, Simplicity, Fun
There are 3 parts:
⁃ Plan for the safety of your volunteers,
participants & spectators, and the event as a
whole
⁃ Keep it simple, it’s not rocket science
⁃ Don’t lose sight of the reason to put on an
event – it’s about having fun!
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THE GOLDEN RULES
Golden Rule #2
― 99% vs. 1%
⁃ 99% of field will never need medical support
― 99% of 1%
⁃ Basic first aid needs
― 1% of 1%
⁃ Advanced first aid and/or life support medical
need
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THE GOLDEN RULES
(The Not So) Golden Rule #3

― The unpredictable still happens.
― You can’t please everyone.
― You can save almost everyone.
Takeaway: You can’t prevent the worst from

happening, you can only prepare the best you can.
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Poll question: Let’s hear from you…
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Components & Considerations
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PLAN CONSIDERATIONS
Constants & variables
Participants
― Human body: evolution vs. environment
― Type of participants: trained vs. less trained
― Overall and year-round health, wellness,
nutrition, exercise
― Literature search, Internet
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PLAN CONSIDERATIONS
The course
― Weather: mild to extreme, cold & heat, humidity
(index)
― Elevation and terrain: low vs. high, hills vs. flat
― Access: closed vs. open, lateral access, point A to
point B vs. point A to point A
― Numbers seen medically (based on event history,
over time)
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PLAN CONSIDERATIONS
Budget
― Cost of contracted care & supplies in your community
― Volunteers
― Medical sponsor activation
― Medical & course volunteer training
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PLANNING MEDICAL SUPPORT
The medical director
― Who should lead the medical support team?

⁃ Assignment should be based on event needs, community standards, organizational &
collaborative abilities, and experience
― How many people on staff
⁃ Event staff: 1-3, event–specific
⁃ Event-specific, 3-5 volunteers per 1%, + # of Aid Stations @2-4 volunteers each
― Who the Medical Director reports to and plans with

⁃ Event Director, Course Director, City Planners
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First steps in developing your plan
― Safe, simple, fun

⁃ Remember the Golden Rules
― Triage vs. treatment protocol
⁃ No right or wrong; wide range of thought
⁃ Develop your event’s model of care:
⁃ Review the constants & variables of your event
⁃ Meet the standard of care in community
⁃ Minimize response time to minimize liability
⁃ Goal is to achieve alignment among expectations of community officials, event planners &
participants
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What your plan needs to cover
Medical Response team:
⁃ Numbers/mix of volunteer coverage
⁃ Multidisciplinary team
⁃ Pre-hospital caregivers (ambulance/paramedics)
⁃ MD, RN, DC, ATC, ND, PA, LMT, PT, students
⁃ Central event day management

⁃ Medical Director, ambulance dispatch, on-course Ham-
Radio operator
⁃ Chain of command
⁃ Spokesperson policy for event
⁃ HIPPA regulations
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Inform. Inform. Inform… Educate volunteers
Volunteers:
― Medical manual for medical volunteers
⁃ Share plans with course volunteers & finish volunteers
― Email it to all with their assignments
⁃ Get confirmation of receipt
― Phone screening
― Training plan for volunteers
⁃ Pre-event vs event-day
⁃ Community CPR classes
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Inform. Inform. Inform…The Community
Media focus
⁃ Focus on the positive
⁃ What is in place to provide safety
⁃ Human interest stories of participants overcoming obstacles to finish the course
Visit local hospitals, ERs, urgent care centers

⁃ Get staffing plan for event day, along with names & mobile phone numbers
⁃ Generate enthusiasm & support from medical staff - provide event tees, promotional posters, etc
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Inform. Inform. Inform… Educate participants
Participants:
― Registration waivers & policies, Against Medical Advice (AMA) policy, waiver on bib
― Pre-event publications, newsletters, blogs,
social networks
― Website – online medical advice
― Expo booth staffed by savvy volunteers and/or
Medical sponsors
― Literature review, research studies, lectures
― Surveys
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Event Day
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On-site operations
How to run the medical tent:

― Race weekend (or days leading up to event) routine
⁃ Set-up, volunteer check-in, orientation, execution of plan
― Educate & evaluate participants when they get in the medical tent
⁃ Congratulate, clinical observation of response, question training & prep, on-course hydration
& replenishment, medical history
― Engaging with participants on course & at finish if they exhibit symptoms of medical
issues
⁃ Develop protocol, educate volunteers
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Wrapping up, setting up for success at the next event
― Documentation & reporting

⁃ Meet expectations of event director for archive
⁃ Making the case for more or less investment next year
⁃ Providing info to media
― Volunteers
⁃ Showing appreciation & retaining for next event
⁃ Off-season contact
― Participants
⁃ Post-event surveys, follow-up any hospital referrals, online training & newsletters
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Wrapping up, setting up for success for the next event
Continuing Education & networking

― Portland Marathon Event Director’s College | October 4-6, Portland, OR
http://www.portlandmarathon.org/marathon_conference.php
― Plus, other industry resources & professional organizations:
Running USA, USA Triathlon, Road Runners Club of America, Road Race Management & others…
― For follow-up or consultation inquiries on your medical support planning
Mamie@portlandmarathon.org
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Q&A
Click on the “Q&A” tab & type in the text window
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THANK YOU
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SAFE, SIMPLE, FUN:

MEDICAL SUPPORT PLANNING FOR

Mamie with Les Smith, Event

(The Not So) Golden Rule #3

Takeaway: You can’t prevent the worst from

― Who should lead the medical support team?

― Who the Medical Director reports to and plans with

― Safe, simple, fun

⁃ Central event day management

Visit local hospitals, ERs, urgent care centers

How to run the medical tent:

― Documentation & reporting

Continuing Education & networking

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