AI6YR BenABC News:Heat advisory set to take effect during LA Marathon
*** So, personal story here: my son is a flight medic/Search and Rescue, and there was a half marathon here in our area this year. Most of the runners in the half marathon probably didn't take heed, but there was a mass casualty incidence where many people got heat illnesses (multiple ambulances called). One of the runners collapsed far up on the trail, and had to be medevac'd out by helicopter. That runner died. So... heat during a marathon... not a small matter.
Patrick W1PAC@ai6yr In 2013, the Boston Marathon essentially upgraded all the first aid stations into "field hospitals" after a hot marathon the year before. Originally after a warm year in 2004 in which 196 runners were transported due to the heat they upgraded 4 stations.
MsMerope@ai6yr @W1PAC
thankfully the marathon they have up here is run in December.
otherwise it would be a cluster.
Many of our [volunteer] medics refuse to work this event because the "aid stations" are basically stocked with bandaids, vaseline and tongue depressors. And the organizers get pissy if we bring our own equipment.
We haul more gear than that when we are "stand by medical" at a Christmas tree lightning.
That's about the extent of my knowledge on the med side of things, I'm more knowledgeable about the radio side of things.
In that there are essentially 3 radio networks going on the marathon which is public safety, commercial and amateur.
Public safety is mostly interoperable if I recall, most of it is on the state trunk system I believe, plus MEMA distributes radios to the EMT communicators to make the ambulance calls if needed.
Commerical, provided by a company called DC Rentals, which provides the race organizers with their own trunk every year, the medical division supervisors are on this system.
Amateur is backup for ambulances if needed and provides hourly med stats to course net control and provides situation awareness for distressed runners. We also provide services at start and finish along with runner transport for those who drop out.