1 of 17

Emergency Action Planning

1

Are you prepared?

Jeremy Haas, MS, LAT, ATC

Regional Director of Sports Medicine

Dignity Health Physical Therapy

2 of 17

“There’s no harm in hoping for the best as long as you’re prepared for the worst.”

—Stephen King, Different Seasons

2

3 of 17

Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport: A Call to Action to Ensure Best Practices are in Place in Secondary School Sports (2015)�

Recommendations of Best Practices

�1. Create an emergency action plan in collaboration with coaches, athletic trainers, other medical professionals and local and campus safety officials.�

2. Have athletic trainers on staff: athletic trainers play a critical role in preventing sudden death in sport such as prevention, diagnosis, emergency care and treatment.�

3. Acquire and place automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on school campuses and at sporting facilities for immediate access in the case of a cardiac emergency. �

4. Ensure that athletes acclimatize progressively to training demands and environmental conditions for optimal safety. Conditioning should be phased in gradually: the first seven to 10 days of any new cycle should be considered transitional. Exercise and conditioning should not be used as punishment.�

4 of 17

EAP should be site specific, and include maps

EAP should be reviewed each season

EAP should be a written document distributed to all staff

Complete a readiness check before each athletic activity

​

Identify personnel and their responsibilities within designated chain of command

Create an Emergency Action Plan

1

2

3

4

5

4

Reference : The basics you can find anywhere 5 Steps To Successful Storytelling Published on April 5, 2014 Featured in: Marketing & Advertising

5 of 17

    • Cross streets of each field (may not always be the same)
    • Which gate will EMS come through? Locks?
    • Location specific details

1

EAP should be site specific, and include maps

5

6 of 17

2

PREPARE

  • “Take a walk”
  • Try to anticipate where you may have issues on campus
  • Get input from coaches and AT

​

​

EAP should be reviewed each season

6

6

7 of 17

3

EAP should be a written document distributed to all staff

7

8 of 17

Does everyone know where the AEDs are located? Epi-pen?

Complete a readiness check before each athletic activity

4

8

9 of 17

Designate a “Call Leader”

Does everyone know their role? Who is activating EMS? Who is calling the parents? Who is on crowd control? Who is meeting the ambulance outside the stadium/gym?

Identify personnel and their responsibilities within designated chain of command

5

9

10 of 17

What worked? What didn’t?

How can we best learn from our successes and mistakes?

Review

11 of 17

Precedent has been set

Gathers v. Loyola Marymount Univ.

&

Kleinknecht v. Gettysburg College

​

“Need for organizations at all

levels that sponsor athletic activities to maintain an up-to-date,

thorough, and regularly rehearsed emergency plan”

Legal

12 of 17

“Administration and the sports medicine team have legal duty as professionals to ensure high quality care of participants”

Legal

13 of 17

​

​

13

link

Recent Wrongful Death Lawsuits in HS

​

  • Matthew Mangine Jr. – soccer player in N.Ky
    • Cardiac arrest

​

  • Imani Bell – basketball player in Atlanta
    • Heatstroke during outdoor Basketball Practice

​

  • Allen Harris – football conditioning in Seattle
    • Cardiac arrest

​

  • Drake Geiger – football player in Nebraska
    • Hyperthermia

​

  • As well as many many more

​

​

​

14 of 17

Emergency Preparedness

  • Brain and Neck Injuries
  • Exertional Heat Stroke
  • Sudden Cardiac Arrest

​

  • Orthopedic Emergencies
  • Seizures
  • Anaphylaxis
  • Diabetic Emergencies
  • Stroke
  • Asthma
  • Exertional Sickling

​

​

​

14

15 of 17

TAKEAWAYS

​

​

          • Be present
          • Anticipate site specific issues
          • Take a walk
          • Readiness checks
          • Write it down and document
          • Ensure coaches are setting students up for success
          • Take note of athletes with concerning medical Hx
          • CPR and AED certifications
          • Be aware that the emergency may not be an athlete

​

​

15

16 of 17

Herbert DL. Legal Aspects of Sports Medicine. Canton, OH: Professional Reports Corp; 1990:160–167

​

  • “Administration and members of the sports medicine team have both legal and professional obligations to perform this duty to protect the interests of both the participating athletes and the organization or institution. At best, failure to do so will inevitably result in inefficient athlete care, whereas at worst, gross negligence and potential life-threatening ramifications for the injured athlete or organizational personnel are likely.”

16

“

17 of 17

Thank you

17

Neal Creative ©