Guides · Workplace & courses · 3 min read
Set medic: duties on location and when a production needs one
What a set medic does on film and commercial shoots, for which scenes one is needed and what productions should look out for when booking.
In short: A set medic provides medical cover for a film or commercial production. They treat cast and crew, stand by for risky scenes and organise the ambulance service in an emergency.
Duties on set
- First aid for injuries and illnesses
- Standby for stunts, driving and water scenes, animals, pyrotechnics and special effects
- Assessing risks together with the production manager and the stunt coordinator
- Care in heat, cold and long shooting days
- Documentation for the production and the statutory accident insurer (BG)
When does a production need a set medic?
Whenever the production’s risk assessment indicates it: for stunts and action, for shoots in remote locations, with large numbers of extras, or when clients and insurers require it.
What productions should look out for
- Experience of procedures on set – quiet during filming, present before and after
- Suitable qualification for the risk of the scene
- Complete equipment including a defibrillator
- Flexibility with schedule changes and a clear overtime rule
A shooting day from the set medic’s point of view
- Before shooting starts: Read the daily schedule, mark risky scenes, talk to the production manager and the stunt coordinator.
- Arriving on set: Choose a spot for the equipment, check access for the ambulance, note the nearest hospital and the address of the location for the emergency call.
- During filming: within sight, but out of shot and quiet. For stunts, driving scenes and effects, right at the barrier.
- Between takes: Treat minor things – blisters, cuts, headaches, circulation – and keep an eye on heat, cold and drinking.
- When moving location: Be the first at the new location.
- After wrap: Document first aid given, restock supplies.
Which qualification for which shoot?
- Medic or paramedic (Rettungssanitäter): for shoots without particular hazards, studio productions, commercials, large crowds of extras.
- Advanced paramedic (Notfallsanitäter): for stunts, driving and water scenes, pyrotechnics, work at height and in remote locations.
- Physician: when the insurer or the risk assessment requires it, for example for particularly risky scenes or lead actors with health risks.
The decision is made by the production on the basis of its risk assessment. We are happy to advise.
Special shoots
- Night shoot: Fatigue is the biggest risk – for drivers just as much as for lighting technicians on the ladder.
- Water: Hypothermia is a threat even in summer; warm blankets and a heated area are part of the provision.
- Children and animals: their own rules, shorter hours, more breaks.
- Shoots abroad: the chain of rescue, emergency numbers and hospitals differ from country to country; we clarify this in advance.
What the production provides
- The call sheet and shooting schedule in good time
- A fixed, dry place for the equipment close to the set
- A radio on the production channel
- Information about pre-existing conditions or allergies, where the people concerned consent
Billing
We charge set medics by the hour, from €33 net per hour with a minimum booking of four hours. For longer projects with several shooting days, we agree a day rate on request, including for productions abroad. You can find out more under Set medics for film, series and advertising. If a vehicle is needed, you will find the options under Ambulance hire.
Frequently asked questions
Is a set medic required by law?
There is no fixed rule that applies to every shoot. However, like any employer, the production must ensure first aid is available; for risky scenes, the need for a set medic follows from the risk assessment.
Can a set medic be booked at short notice?
Yes. Call sheets often only change the evening before. Give us a call and we will tell you straight away what is possible.
Does the set medic also look after extras and audiences?
Yes, everyone on set. For very large numbers of extras or shoots with an audience, we plan additional crew.
Matching service: Set medics from Pandemedics – quote within 2 hours on working days.
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Tell us briefly what you are planning – on working days you will have a binding quote within 2 hours.