By Mark Aaron Locken
Greg Louganis, Ryan Shay, Korey Stringer--familiar names to those of us in the athletic community. They participated in very different sports but have something in common: they were all injured (two, fatally) during a competition or practice. These incidents should prompt self-evaluation and raise some important questions. For starters, does your athletic department have an emergency action plan (EAP)? The author discusses strategies for helping coaches develop and update plans to deal with injured athletes.
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Being prepared means asking preemptive questions. For instance, what would you do when such an emergency arises? Do teams have sport-specific needs for equipment or training in the event of an emergency? You can be assured that parents, district administrators, and lawyers will be asking these and many more questions if a serious injury occurs to an athlete at your school.
Binkley and Williams (2003) state that every coach should know the emergency response plan and proper procedures even down to "... location of phones, activating emergency medical services (EMS), designated personnel to care for injuries, ambulance access, and location of emergency supplies." These things should be addressed in an emergency action plan (EAP). Hopefully, each team has its own plan because treating an injured diver is not going to present the same set of circumstances as treating an injured football player. If the department or team does not have an EAP, create one. Do not worry if the plan is lacking--you will have opportunities to work out the wrinkles.
When a head coach addresses his or her team's existing EAP or is creating a new one, it's important to have assistants (or another team's coach) read the plan and mark it up. They should verify information such as phone numbers for Fire/EMS personnel, the athletic director and the principal. Also, the plan should provide locations of backboards, first aid kits, and athlete medical data.
With an EAP in place, it's time to practice your plan. Standard five of the National Standards for Athletic Coaches (2006) states that coaches must be able to plan, coordinate, and implement procedures for appropriate emergency care. Let's focus on the "implement" part, which means practicing for an emergency situation.
To start, coaches should make arrangements with the athletic director and EMS personnel. The day before an important competition is a good opportunity to do this. You can make for a light workout by having one of your athletes fake an injury halfway through practice. Making it a surprise for your assistant coaches and athletes is key to providing an authentic test.
When testing your EAP, don't forget your plan involves more than just splinting a fracture--it involves coordination. Who calls the athletic director and the athlete's parents? Where are the keys to the appropriate gates so the ambulance can get onto the field or near the back door of the weight room? Does practice or competition continue or is it suspended--who has the authority to make this decision?
Aside from rehearsing your EAP, at least once per season for each team or once per quarter for the athletic department, there is other training to consider. Many states require coaches to become certified in CPR and First Aid as well as life guarding for aquatics coaches. Even if your state does not have such a requirement, you owe it to your athletes to get this training. Head coaches should ask to see assistants' certification cards. Perhaps a coach has an out-dated card and doesn't know it. Make sure they have current training.
One reason you will rehearse is because you will receive new safety equipment from time to time. Perhaps your school finally ditched the six-hole backboards for 10-hole boards or the straps with D-ring buckles have been replaced with straps that have seatbelt-type closures. The automatic external defibrillator (AED) is becoming commonplace at more schools. Ensure you and your coaching staff know how to use the new equipment.
You will not be able to plan for every possible situation but here are a few things you will want to consider as you develop your EAP:
• Recognize that risks exist
• Identify those risks
• Mitigate risks with an up-to-date plan
• Continually monitor changing conditions in weather, light, and equipment
• Supervise your athletes and your subordinate coaches
• Remind the athletes of their role in helping identify risk
• Practice your emergency action plan
No matter what steps a coach or athletic director takes to mitigate every imaginable risk, athletes will still experience injuries. So it's important to be as well prepared as possible by having and rehearsing your EAP.
Mark Aaron Locken is a retired Army officer and holds a Masters degree in Coaching from Ball State University. He is a former swimming coach at East Lyme High School in Connecticut and currently resides in Quincy, MA.
Works Cited
American Red Cross Sports Safety Training, St. Louis: Mosby-Lifeline, 1997
Arnheim, D., et al, Principles of Athletic Training (10th ed.), Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000
Binkley, H.; Williams, L., Emergency Procedures for the Strength and Conditioning Coach. Strength and Conditioning Journal, February 2003
Blanchard, B.; Castaldi, C., Injuries in Youth Hockey. On-Ice Emergency Care. Physician and Sports medicine, 19(1): 54-56, 59-60, 62, 64, 66, 71, 1991
Bowers, C., Heat Illness: A Serious Challenge for Youth Football and Other Hot Weather Sports Strategies, 13(5): 13-17, 2000
Dishuck, J., Harrelson, G., Harrelson, L., Educating the Asthmatic Athlete. Athletic Therapy Today, 6(5): 26-32, 2001
Fawcett, P.
NIRSA Aquatic Directors' Handbook, Corvalis National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association, 2001
Mayo Clinic, Sports Injuries, A Parent's Guide to Prevention, 1999
National Association for Sports and Physical Education. National Standards for Athletic Coaches, 2000
Posner, M., Preventing School Injuries: A Comprehensive Guide for School Administrators, Teachers, and Staff. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2000
Shimon, J., Youth Sport Injury Prevention Is Key Strategies, May, 2002