‘Perfect Storm’ Emergency
Avoid The Even with an action plan in place, debrief after emergencies to strengthen your strategy
By Gregory Van Cantfort, CAA, Kalani High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
T
he Kalani High School (Hawaii) campus was a busy place that warm autumn afternoon. On the fi eld, the school’s varsity and junior varsity foot-
ball teams excitedly practiced for their upcoming sea- sons. Parking lots were fi lling up as parents arrived for the school’s annual open house. With the school situated just off the highway, the school’s events caused the cam- pus road, which encircles the football fi eld, to back up with cars. I made my rounds of the various fall sport practices
and was excited about our athletic program. Early fall is a positive time on a high school campus, fi lled with hope, promise and expectations for the new seasons. I swung by the school’s cafeteria where parents
started checking in for the open house. I wanted to greet some of the early arriving parents and do a last- minute check on the sound system. Suddenly, my walkie-talkie crackled with the words, “Athletic trainer to A.D., please report to the fi eld!” I didn’t realize it at the time, but the perfect au-
tumn afternoon had set up a perfect storm of events where, despite having an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place and practiced by staff, there were still lessons to be learned.
Situation Outside Of EAP Coverage I quickly came out of the cafeteria, which is locat-
ed directly across from the football fi eld, and saw our athletic department’s EAP already in full swing. As
coachad.com
trained, the varsity and junior varsity teams had been moved to the extreme opposite side of the football fi eld from the incident. The athletic trainer’s cart was parked near the center of the fi eld and our two athletic trainers, and a couple of coaches, were huddled around a fallen football player. As I arrived on the scene, I noticed the player’s mask
had been cut off and one of the athletic trainers was supporting the player’s neck. When I saw the player’s face, I knew him as a deaf student from the neighboring Hawaii Center for the Deaf and Blind. Athletes from this school do not have an athletic program and partici- pate on our teams. Dealing with an injured athlete who is deaf presented some challenging moments for our trainers as they rely heavily on communication from the athlete to determine the symptoms and extent of the injury. This serious situation involving a player unable to
hear was not something we were prepared for. Even so, I was amazed by the incredible sense of calm everyone showed. While there was a skills trainer on site who signed to the player, the athlete had lost all sensation in his extremities, and he was unable to sign back. Requiring quick thinking from all parties involved,
we relied on having the athlete blink his eyes to answer questions signed to him. Once this form of communi- cation was established, the remainder of the EAP was enacted. Paramedics were called. Coaches covered the various entrances to direct the ambulance to the scene. Parents were contacted. A person was assigned to travel with the student-athlete. Practice now was over and the teams were escorted back to the locker room away from the scene.
March/April 2013 41
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54