New Hanover Special Event Medicine

Request on-site emergency care for your event

If you are hosting a community event in New Hanover County, you will have peace of mind knowing Novant Health New Hanover EMS is there to provide quick medical response should you have an emergent need.

We provide evaluation of patients, treatment and if needed, transport to the Emergency Department for participants needing additional services.

We cover many large events each year, including the PPD Ironman North Carolina triathlon, NC Azalea Festival and the Wrightsville Beach Marathon.

Application Process:

In order for an organization to request dedicated coverage from New Hanover EMS, the organizer must complete the online application listed below. The form must be submitted at least twenty-one (21) days prior to the event. It is never to early to request coverage, avoid dates that include major public events.

New Hanover EMS will make every effort to provide the level of service requested, coverage may not be guaranteed due to the nature of the 911 system. New Hanover EMS’s first priority is the 911 emergency system, all other activities are secondary. While New Hanover EMS provides coverage for many events during the course of the year, we are not able to provide coverage to all events. Regardless, we will be there quickly for any emergency once the 911 system is activated.

Provision Of Coverage:

We will assist you in determining the proper resource for your event. Events requiring specialty coverage may incur additional resources that are not posted in the coverage fee but will be discussed with you at the time of requesting services. These are based on operational decisions that are made on what we determine is needed to provide optimal coverage.

EMS event medicine coverage is intended for individual patient evaluation, treatment and transport if required. It is beyond the scope of EMS to provide services such as mass supply of pain medicine, for headaches, multiple ice packs or elastic bandages, other medical supply handouts, bottled water, etc.

Medical Services for Events

Our fees depend on the type of services needed. All prices are hourly, and a three-hour minimum is charged per event. We offer the following resources:

Ambulance: $228.90/hr.

Bicycle Team: $171.15/hr.

The New Hanover EMS-Bicycle Emergency Response Team (B.E.R.T.) uses specially trained team members to reach patients when ambulance access is limited. Because of their mobility, the team is able to navigate through large crowds or off road areas with ease. BERT is an ideal asset for events such as the Azalea Festival, Riverfest and marathons.

Medical Carts: $115.05/hr.

Medical carts (golf carts/UTV’s) are staffed by a single or dual set of team members. Often used as a transport arm of BERT, these vehicles are outfitted with stretchers, thus the ability to safely move patients out of a crowd to a designated triage/ transport site. They are also used to transport the team’s bicycles, as the BERT members provide continuous care to the patient during transport and can easily transport athletes off playing fields without damaging the field. They are also a great resource at events with wooded trails and uneven terrain as well as gated events including festivals and outdoor concerts.

Quick Response Vehicle: $115.05/hr.

A Novant Health team member is sitting at her workstation on the computer while others are printing copies and on phone calls.

Request Community Education

Our team of safety experts from the Novant Health AirLink and VitaLink teams can participate in your group event or public safety activity in New Hanover County. Upon availability, we participate in public events including: 

Community CPR (Hands Only CPR) training 
Stop the Bleed™ training 
Career days (critical care/flight medical professionals and helicopter pilots) 
Touch a Truck 
Public gatherings (festivals, picnics, fundraisers) 
Parades

To request our participation, call: (910) 667-8973.