Campus Risk Assessment:
Emergency Medical Services and Special Events

I. Daily Campus Life

Every day the population of any given college or university will experience its share of medical emergencies. The wide array of events and activities in every campus community can result in emergencies with serious injury to students, faculty, staff, and visitors. It is important that college health and campus safety personnel are aware of the risks affecting their community so that they might attempt o eliminate or reduce these risks. At the very least, it is essential that emergency plans be developed to ensure the necessary resources are in place to respond to emergency medical needs. The basic components of this campus risk assessment and emergency plan are:

A. What high-risk activities occur each day on your campus?

B. How many people are on campus each day?

C. How many students live in residence halls on campus?

D. Are there any courses taught which create unusual risks?

E. Are there any unusual research or structures that pose special danger?

F. Is there a culture of alcohol or drug abuse affecting the campus community?

G. What can you learn from the history of accidents and illness on your campus?

H. Do large crowds, special populations, or high-risk crowds gather for campus events?

I. Do student athletes participate in any high-risk sports?

J. Do the traffic patterns of pedestrians, vehicles, and bicycles create a dangerous environment?

K. Are there any topographic or seasonal considerations that create risk?

L. What is your experience with the reliability and quality of the responding EMS system?

II. Special Events

Each event must be evaluated for the unique circumstances affecting the participants and spectators. Some events with thousands of spectators may last for hours and be an injury and illness free event. Conversely, a small, brief event may result in circumstances that cause multiple injuries or an unforeseen number of acute illnesses in the population of spectators or participants. By reviewing all known factors about a given event, and combining that information with your general knowledge of the campus EMS system, it is possible to make some assessment of the resources needed at a specific event. After the event, it is important to review expectations, plans, and actual experience and use this information to improve planning for future events. When evaluating plans for an event on your campus, consider the following questions:

A. What is the nature of the event?

B. How many spectators and participants will attend?

C. What historical information do you have regarding this event or events of this type?

D. What type of spectators are likely to attend this event and do they have any unusual characteristics that may increase the risk of illness or injury?

E. What are the characteristics of the participants of this event?

F. Are there any extremes of temperature or humidity that could affect people attending the event?

G. What time of day or night is the event, and how will this affect risk and available resources?

H. What is the duration of the event?

I. What is the location of the event and what impact will it have?

J. What facilities are available at or near the site of the event to be used as a place to treat potential patients?

K. If on-site facilities are needed, do these facilities have adequate temperature control, lighting, and other utilities?

L. What type of communication will be needed by the staff working the event to communicate between themselves, to other health and safety personnel, and to the event participants if required?

M. Do any of the characteristics of the event indicate that the normal EMS system will not be able to respond to the potential volume of patients, or will be restricted in their access to a patient at the event?

N. What staff and equipment are available or needed at the event?

O. What is the turnaround time for emergency units transporting patients from the event to the hospital, and back to the event site?

©2000
David J. Lindstrom, M.A., Associate Director for Administrative Services
Mark Milliron, M.S., M.P.A., EMT
The Pennsylvania State University
University Health Services
Office of Emergency Medical Services