Penn Tactical Solutions
Mass Gathering Emergency Preparedness Toolkit
A complete operational planning system for event organizers, venue operators, municipalities, and nonprofits running festivals, concerts, PRIDE events, political rallies, religious gatherings, sporting events, and any large public assembly.
Complete Bundle All 16 operational documents plus 5 laminate-ready Quick Reference Cards. Everything in one download - the full planning system from risk assessment through post-incident recovery, including the tabletop exercise and crowd crush guide.
Tabletop Exercise Package Documents 14A and 14B. A 6-scenario exercise covering cardiac arrest, crowd crush, active threat, mass casualty, lightning suspension, and all-hazards evacuation. Includes a facilitator guide with timed injects and expected actions, and a participant handout with response worksheets. Runs 90-120 minutes. Works self-facilitated or PTS-led.
Quick Reference Card Set Five print-and-laminate cards - one per ICS role. Event Director, Medical Lead, Security/Crowd Monitor, Volunteer/Staff, and a Crowd Crush Pocket Card for stage front monitors. Print double-sided, fold, laminate. Fill-in fields for radio channels, code words, and key contacts.
Crowd Crush Standalone Document 13 plus the Crowd Crush Pocket Card. Warning signs, 5-phase response protocol, PA announcement scripts, compression asphyxia treatment, and a pre-event planning form. Recommended for any event with a stage, barrier, or attendance over 500.
Is Your Event Ready to Open?
Answer yes or no for each item. Your readiness score and per-pillar breakdown appear at the end.
Thirteen Documents. One Complete System.
From initial risk assessment to post-incident recovery. Each document stands alone as a planning or operational tool. Together they form a complete event emergency preparedness system.
Risk Assessment
A scored risk tool that calibrates your required preparedness level based on attendance, environment, crowd dynamics, and threat profile. Determines which documents apply to your event.
ICS and Planning Framework
Pre-event ICS structure with named role assignments. Event Director, Medical Lead, Security Lead, Crowd Manager, and EMS Liaison defined before the event opens - not during the incident.
Medical Operations Plan
EMS-ready medical plan formatted for permit applications. Covers staffing requirements by attendance tier, equipment staging, EMS pre-coordination, and incident response protocols for every emergency type.
Crowd Management and Crush Response
Crowd density monitoring, warning sign recognition, and immediate response protocols for crowd crush. Includes a standalone crowd crush guide for events with stages, barriers, or focal points.
Security Integration and Threat Response
Security coordination with ICS and EMS. Run-Hide-Fight protocols and medical response to violence-related injuries. High-visibility event risk considerations for PRIDE, political, cultural, and religious events.
Compliance and Recovery
Naloxone supply coordination, permitting reference, and insurance documentation. Post-incident 30-day recovery checklist. Funding reference for COSTARS procurement and grant-eligible equipment.
Build Your Event Medical Staging
Special COSTARS Organization Pricing Available
Built for Everyone Running the Event
Whether you are planning from scratch or auditing an existing program, this toolkit has a document for your role.
Event Directors and Organizers
Medical Leads and EMS Coordinators
Security Leads
Volunteer Coordinators
Municipal Permit Reviewers
Nonprofits and Community Organizers
UNIQUE CHALLENGES AT MASS GATHERINGS
Understanding these challenges is the first step toward building a response plan that works for your event, with your staff, when it matters.
- Crowd crush is caused by physics, not panic. At dangerous densities, compressive forces build faster than staff can respond without a written monitoring plan and named authority to stop the performance
- EMS responding to an unfamiliar outdoor venue spends critical minutes finding the entrance and locating the patient. A 30-minute pre-event walkthrough eliminates this permanently
- Heat emergencies, overdoses, and trauma incidents at large events rarely occur as isolated cases. Medical staging must account for simultaneous patients across a large footprint
- Event staff and volunteers have no baseline familiarity with the venue, the plan, or the team. Role assignments and briefing cards must compensate for a group that has never worked together before
- PRIDE events, political gatherings, cultural celebrations, and large sporting events carry documented threat profiles that require law enforcement coordination and a written security integration plan
- Most event organizers have no post-incident documentation plan. Pennsylvania premises liability attaches to undocumented decisions as much as to documented failures
- Outdoor events add lightning risk, heat illness, and terrain challenges that require specific monitoring protocols and named authority to suspend the event
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about the toolkit.
Is this really free?
Yes. This resource is provided at no cost to event organizers, municipalities, nonprofits, and community groups.
What format is it delivered in?
PDF, delivered immediately to your email. All 13 documents are formatted for on-screen use and print.
Our event is small - under 200 people. Is this still useful?
Yes. The toolkit scales to events of any size. A 150-person neighborhood market still needs a named emergency caller, an accessible AED, and a basic medical plan. The Risk Assessment tells you exactly what your event size requires and what you can skip.
Does this satisfy permit requirements?
The Medical Operations Plan is formatted for permit applications and includes the staffing tables and EMS coordination documentation that many municipalities request. Confirm specific requirements with your local permitting authority.
Can this help with funding or procurement?
Yes. The Funding and Compliance Reference covers COSTARS cooperative purchasing, free naloxone supply through Pennsylvania county health departments, AED registration requirements, and insurance documentation guidance. Penn Tactical holds a COSTARS contract - qualifying organizations can procure equipment and training without a separate RFP.
Do we need medical staff to use this?
No. Many documents are designed for event organizers and volunteers without medical backgrounds. For larger events, a named Medical Lead with verified credentials is required - the toolkit tells you exactly what credentials are needed at each attendance tier.
We already have security and basic first aid. Is this still useful?
Yes. Security and first aid are two of six pillars this toolkit addresses. If you do not have a written ICS structure, an EMS pre-coordination plan, a crowd crush protocol, and a post-incident documentation plan, gaps exist that neither security nor first aid closes on their own.
Ready to Run a Safer Event?
Preparedness is not about fear. It is about responsibility - to the people who trust you to keep them safe.