How Standby scores event medical risk
Standby uses a transparent, multi-factor model — not a black box and not “AI magic.” This page documents the exact factors and weights behind every score, and the guidelines they're grounded in. Recommendations are decision support and must be reviewed and approved by a qualified medical director.
The composite score
Every event gets a 0–10 risk level from three weighted dimensions, plus a readiness penalty for missing on-site resources:
Crowd risk — by expected attendance
Scaled by headcount, then +1 for crowd-energy events (festivals, political rallies) and +1 when there is no security presence.
Environmental risk — exposure & access to care
Starts at a baseline of 2, then adds:
Activity risk — by event type
The physical intensity and typical patient-presentation profile of the event itself:
Readiness penalty — missing resources raise the score
Risk levels
Staffing recommendation
- Certification: EMT-Basic (BLS) is the highest tier Standby staffs — recommended for Moderate risk and above; EMR (first responder) for small low-risk events (under 300 attendees). High/Critical reports additionally carry an explicit ALS-coordination advisory: paramedic-level coverage should be arranged through your local EMS agency and confirmed in medical-director review.
- Headcount: roughly one EMT per 750 attendees, with a floor of 2 for High and 3 for Critical, capped at 12.
- Coverage hours: set by event type (e.g. festivals run longer than corporate events).
Guideline basis
The factor structure and thresholds are grounded in published mass-gathering and event-medicine guidance:
- 01NAEMSP (National Association of EMS Physicians) — mass-gathering EMS position statements on coverage levels and medical direction.
- 02Arbon et al. — predictive modeling of patient presentation rates (PPR) and transport-to-hospital rates (TTHR) at mass gatherings.
- 03Hartman et al. — environmental and crowd factors in mass-gathering medical usage rates.
- 04Event-medicine literature on advanced (ALS) vs. basic (BLS) life-support thresholds by event acuity and density.
Standby is a decision-support tool, not a medical provider. Every recommendation should be reviewed and signed off by a qualified medical director before an event.
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