National Ambulance ‘All Set’ for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Abu Dhabi, 23 November 2016: National Ambulance today announced that a team of more than 100 of its highly qualified and trained staff will be on duty at this weekend’s Etihad F1 Grand Prix. The emergency medical provider will also have a helicopter and ten ambulances on stand-by as it covers the inner cordon of drivers and race teams. Following each day’s racing, National Ambulance will also support the after-event concerts held on Yas Island. It will be the third year in a row that National Ambulance has provided emergency medical support at one of the largest public events of the year attracting tens of thousands of people, both locally and from around the world.

Together with a team of doctors and nurses, and in coordination with the National Motor Sport Authority, National Ambulance will be providing emergency medical support for the F1 drivers. This involves providing ten Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), fully trained to comply with F1 regulations, as part of two extraction teams responsible for safely removing drivers in the case of an accident. A helicopter from National Ambulance’s partner, Abu Dhabi Aviation, will also be on standby, along with a trauma team comprising surgeons, anesthetists and paramedics.

In addition, a medical centre and seven ambulances, three medical intervention vehicles and two extraction vehicles will be deployed to support the F1 Inner Cordon. National Ambulance staff will also be on foot patrol in the pit lane. The onsite team will be supported by National Ambulance’s dedicated Ambulance Communications Centre (based in Abu Dhabi) and its expert logistics team. 

National Ambulance Deputy CEO, Ahmed Saleh Al Hajeri, said: “The eyes of the world will be on Abu Dhabi this weekend as the F1 Drivers Championship will be settled. It is a world-class event that requires the best support and National Ambulance is honoured to be providing emergency medical cover for the third year in a row. Our highly trained and qualified team is well-prepared to provide this cover to ensure that everyone attending is assured of the best emergency medical care.” 

National Ambulance will also be providing emergency medical cover for this year’s after-race concerts. 25 staff along with three ambulances, an operational support unit, two clinics and six patrol teams will be onsite at du Arena to support the public.  Al Hajeri added: “A critical element of our work is to support the community at public events. This is our biggest event of the year, attracting tens of thousands of people across the F1 weekend, and it requires an immense team effort to ensure the public receives the highest quality of emergency medical support throughout the whole weekend. We hope that those attending will have an enjoyable time, and they can rest assured that the team from National Ambulance will be there on-hand to assist if or when required.” 

As well as providing emergency medical cover for the 2016 Formula Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend, National Ambulance operates all-year-round emergency medical station at the Yas Marina site. The station supports the variety of activities that take place at the circuit throughout the year including entertainment, motorsport and regular community health and fitness initiatives that attract more than 500,000 visits per year.