Movie set emergency medical technicians spend many hours on the set watching after the actors, crews and supervising many of the stunts for safety precautions. People may think that working on a movie set is glamorous, but most of the time medics are standing around in the heat, snow, rain and wind waiting for something to happen.
Preparedness of Medics
Set Medics are ready and able to assist in the coordinating and management of the need for medical staff on any type of production. Most set medics will work on a production for the full length of time that it takes to make the movie. Other Medics may have obligations on two sets as fill-ins or relief medics.
Responsibilities of Movie Set Medics
Depending on the type of movie being filmed, how many cast members involved, the environmental situation and the number of dangerous stunts for the day, the medic could be standing around or be very active. Set medics are the first responders when accidents happen. If someone sprains an ankle, falls or performs a stunt wrong and gets hurt, the medic has to be right on top of the problem. An EMT has an extensive amount of medical training and is prepared to care for anyone who gets hurt, until more medical help arrives. Set medics are also responsible for seeing that the whole crew maintains a healthy body with plenty of liquids for proper hydration. Staying hydrated will help the crew, actors and all the staff to fight off heat and cold exhaustion.
Stunt scenes that may involve demolitions, car accidents or jumping off high buildings all need to be planned out in perfect timing. When something goes wrong and someone gets hurt, the medic needs to have the knowledge, quick thinking and medical training to take care of any unforeseen situation. The medic needs to know when to call in transportation to a hospital and when the individual can be cared for on the set. Lives depend on the set medic and every action that he or she takes.
Emergency Services
Set medics will also coordinate emergency contacts with the local community in which the movie is being filmed. Medics will learn where the local hospitals are located, how to call for an emergency flight for air transportation for serious injuries and the estimated time it would take services to get to the production site. Medics will have all the proper phone numbers for the fire department, police and a hospital, so no time is wasted getting the proper emergency care for victims.
Supplies and Equipment used by Set Medics
Usually only one EMT is needed on a movie set. If a problem occurs, the EMT will have portable equipment to use to handle the injuries. If the movie is being filmed a long distance from a hospital or the stunts are complicated and at higher risk, there may be two EMT’s on the set. EMT’s will have resuscitation and comprehensive trauma equipment with them on every set. They will also be equipped with an automatic external defibrillator, cervical collars, backboards, and kits for both severe and simple burns. Basic first aid supplies are always available along with over the counter medications for simple ailments. Medics for movie sets work long hours and many times well into the night.
Just because the production crew has wrapped for the day or the season, the medic has to stick around until the crew taking down the sets are done. The medic will have all the same equipment on hand for five crew members as he did for a full crew working on the set. The medic never knows when accidents will happen and he or she needs to be prepared at all times.
Unusual Challenges Set Medics Might Face
Not all production sites are on nice level ground. Many adventure and thriller films are in remote areas, on top of rooftops, deep into the swamps or out on the rough seas. Set medics have to be prepared for any type of terrain where the film may be in production. Those medics who are required to cover the production crew in a water or swamp location will have various types of boats, ATV’s, and jet skis available for rescuing any victims of accidents. Other equipment and supplies that medics might need in a challenging situation might be vehicle extrication equipment, ropes or even medicines for remote areas.
Movie set medics will have all the proper training for the medical needs of victims and the equipment they might have to use in order to get to the victims. Portable air conditioned first aid station can be set up on any production site. Usually they are set up on remote sites or sites that may be miles away from any other emergency facility.
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