After I moved to California, people told me things would change. They told me I would change! I’ll always remember the person who, upon hearing me say “thank you so much”, remarked “you’ll lose that politeness soon enough.” Well, they were right. Something changed about me, recently. I attribute it mostly to my time with Joffe Emergency Services, and maybe a little bit to a large mechanical flamingo covered in flowers.
Perhaps I should elaborate more. Recently, I got to attend the Tournament of Roses Parade with a couple of friends. It exceeded all of my expectations, and I had a large amount of fun. Of course, now that I work for Joffe, I can’t show up at any large event like that and not think about the event safety takeaways!
Exhaustion: One of the first things that surprised me was the amount of people who had camped out overnight on the parade route. They had bright and excited smiles on at 6:30 AM, but on my way out hours later, the long lines at Starbucks implied that energy was waning quickly. Even if they’re better at hiding it, EMTs and other staff focused on the safety of the event feel that exhaustion too.
It’s challenging for medical staff to maintain focus over the course of an extended event, but the likelihood they’ll be called into action rises as time goes on. When attendees start to get tired, the chance of injury to themselves and others around them goes up! As part of our work with LAFC and their new stadium, we’ve seen higher rates of medical issues and injuries towards the end of matches. People get tired, they get anxious to get back to their car and head home, and that’s often when accidents happen.
For these reasons, it’s important to consider the well-being of your medical team throughout the course of an event. While they’ll always have to put their comfort on the lines to keep attendees safe, medical staff are at their best when they have appropriate rest, support, and energy. Clear lines of communication throughout your medical team (a Joffe specialty) ensure that an event has top-notch medical care from start to finish.
Distraction: Did I mention the giant mechanical flamingo covered in flowers? It was an assault on all the senses at the parade. Lots of events have similar elements, and while that’s great for bringing a sense of awe to attendees, it’s a real challenge for those tasked with medical coverage of events.
One of the ways to cut through the distraction at an event is with a good communication structure. Can messages and important information be relayed quickly? Is everyone on the appropriate radio channel? Are lines kept clear of any nonessential chatter? This, as well as an intelligent distribution of resources, (like deciding the best interval to place EMT teams around the event) minimizes the damage that distraction can do to an event’s safety preparation and response.
Joy and Community Pride: Really, what I couldn’t believe about the Tournament of Roses Parade was how darn genuine and beautiful it was. Some of the best floats I saw were from local cities in the area, filled with proud community members representing their towns with big smiles on their faces. Some of the best moments I saw came from the intense focus and skill that marching bands from across the country demonstrated while representing their high schools and states.
What does that have to do with safety? Well, every part of the team putting on an event is part of the experience. That includes medical responders. No two events, even the same event in a different year, are exactly the same. The Tournament of Roses Parade was celebrating its 130th year, but many of the attendees will probably only see this particular one. It will be a specific memory they have forever. Every single individual who is a part of pulling off this event can contribute to that memory.
For example, the friendliest person I met at the parade, and someone who will be one of the first things that comes to mind when I remember the parade, was a seat usher named Charles who had been volunteering there for 23 straight parades! His kindness and great attitude throughout the long day is exactly what event organizers have in mind for their staff. On the flip side, a negative experience or rude interaction with medical staff can have a sincere effect on how people feel when they’re leaving the event and in fact color the whole trip.
