Revving up readiness: event medicine capability at WADEM
30 Sep 2025
Written by Michelle Fielding, Melissa Taylor and Pookie Vajrathorn
The National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre’s (NCCTRC) Strategic Events and Specialist Clinical Workforce Team presented their work in event medicine at the 23rd World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) Congress, held in Tokyo, Japan. The congress, which ran from 2 to 6 May, brought together disaster and emergency medicine specialists from around the world.
The team’s poster, entitled Revving Up Readiness, highlighted the extensive planning and coordination required to deliver medical responses at major Northern Territory (NT) events such as the BASSINTHEGRASS music festival and betr Darwin Triple Crown Supercars and the recent Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) 2025 Motocross World Championship (MXGP) held in Darwin. These events provide nationally credentialed AUSMAT members with valuable opportunities to apply their training in real-world settings and demonstrate the value of collaboration. They also help medical teams maintain hands-on familiarity with deployable equipment, consumable caches, operational protocols and current clinical guidelines.
By showcasing these efforts on the international stage, the presentation reinforced the importance of strong partnerships with key stakeholders including NT Major Events Company (NTMEC), St John Ambulance (SJA), NT Police Fire and Emergency Services (NTPFES) and NT Health. It also underscored how coordinated event responses contribute to broader disaster preparedness and resilience both in the NT and nationally.
In addition to the presentation, the team participated in a range of workshops and educational tabletop exercises focused on disaster medicine. These experiences provided meaningful opportunities for professional development and knowledge exchange with international colleagues.
Preparations commence early each year, guided by insights from previous events to inform detailed planning and logistics. This includes comprehensive reviews of medical consumables and equipment lists. Delivering a specialised medical and critical care response at such events is a highly coordinated effort led by the NCCTRC Strategic Events Team, with contributions from pharmacy, logistics, warehouse, database management and media teams. Guided by AUSMAT principles, the operation is designed to be fully self-sufficient — transporting all required resources to the event site and ensuring everything is accounted for and returned upon completion.
Most recently, the team supported the FIM MXGP, which returned to Australia after a 24-year hiatus. The championship was a new, large-scale and exciting challenge for the team, attracting international broadcast coverage and more than 30,000 spectators onsite. It was a unique opportunity to showcase the NCCTRC and AUSMAT on a global stage. The Strategic Events team worked alongside the medical team leaders to prepare and coordinate the critical care-level medical response in collaboration with NTMEC, SJA, and NT Health, ensuring the highest standard of care and preparedness.
