Planning and safely delivering an event, whether large or small, requires significant preparation. As the event organiser, you hold primary responsibility for protecting the health, safety, and welfare of everyone working at or attending your event.
You should provide a safe, effective, and resilient medical service which minimises the impact of the event on the local NHS (Purple Guide, 2024).
Please note that the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) does not routinely provide medical services to public events.
There are a number of voluntary and private organisations that offer these services.
Event organisers following good practice guidance, such as The Purple Guide (2024) (www.thepurpleguide.co.uk) or other relevant documents, may wish to inform NIAS of their event.
You should contact NIAS if your event is likely to impact ambulance service delivery. Examples include (but are not limited to):
• Outdoor events with 1,000+ attendees
• Music events or festivals
• Events with overnight camping
• Motorsports or other high-risk activities
• Events involving road closures and/or occasional alcohol licences
This list is not exhaustive, but is provided as a guide to help you assess potential impact.
If you are responsible for organising a public event, we would be grateful if you would:
1. Click the button below.
2. Read the information provided.
3. Complete and submit the Event Information Questionnaire.
We also recommend that event organisers notify their local council and attend any Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meetings if invited.