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First aid services are vital for managing safety at outdoor events. Using a licenced first aid service will help ensure quality and safe patient care at your event.

All first aid services providing commercial first aid in Victoria must be licenced under the Non-Emergency Patient Transport and First Aid Services Act 2003 (the Act).

First aid providers can only operate their service at the level they are licenced - basic, intermediate or advanced. As an event organiser, you must provide appropriate, updated information about the event. This will allow the first aid service to determine clinical care requirements. The service will do their own risk assessment to ensure it matches the event profile.

Staff numbers

The number of first aid personnel you need depends on the size and nature of your event. Speak to your first aid provider to determine the most suitable number.

As a general rule you will need one or two persons for the first 1000 patrons and one additional person for each 1000 patrons thereafter. We assess each event on a case-by-case basis and according to its inherent risk factors.

Emergency vehicle access

Providing suitable access for emergency vehicles is important to the safety of your event.

This includes:

  • site entrances
  • access and exits for first aid posts
  • direct access to any areas of high risk.

Location and amenities

First aid posts should be located centrally, but not directly near areas of high noise, such as rides and stages.

In consultation with your provider, you may decide that you need them during the 'bump-in' and 'bump-out' phases, which can sometimes pose higher risks than the event itself.

First aid providers at your event must have:

  • adequate lighting
  • access to water and power
  • suitable waste disposal.

There are a range of First Aid suppliers, including Red Cross, St John Ambulance as well as other commercial suppliers.

Resources

Your event is a workplace for event staff, stallholders and others. These resources can help you plan this aspect of your event:

For list of licenced first aid services, visit the Department of Health website.