Open air rock concert: an organised disaster

To describe the planning and implementation of health care provision at a mass gathering, and to describe the conditions treated at such an event.

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.

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.

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.

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.