a. Practice Setup
10-gallon water cooler
Small cooler of ice 1 rack of water bottles 2-3 towels Supplies Kit Biohazard bags Splints AED b. Game Setup Home Dug-Out
10-gallon water cooler Small cooler of ice with bags
1 rack of water bottles
2-3 towels Supplies Kit Splints
AED
Visitors Dug-Out
10-gallon water cooler
1 sleeve of cups
Small cooler of ice with bags
Biohazard kit
7. Women’s Lacrosse Practice and Game Setup (Spine board located in restrooms)
a. Practice Setup
10-gallon of water with 2 racks of water bottles
Kit with bag of splints
AED
Cooler of ice with bags
Biohazard bags b. Game Setup
Visitors Bench
10-gallon of water with 1 sleeve of cups
Biohazard kit
Trash bag
Cooler of ice with bags
Home Bench
10-gallon of water with 2 racks of water bottles
Supplies kit
Biohazard kit
Trash bag
Splints
AED
Cooler of ice with bags 7. Practice and Game Coverage
For all sports arrive 1 hour prior to practice time and 2 hours prior to games to prepare for setup, except for football—arrive 4 hours prior to competition.
G. Outside Sports Coverage and Weather
1. Lightning Policy
a. The coaching and athletic training staffs are to check the weather reports each day before a scheduled practice or competition.
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c. When lightning and thunder activity are recognized in the local area, the coaching and athletic training staffs are to monitor the movement and distance of the lightning flashes.
d. The athletic training staff is to use the “SkyScan Lightning Storm Detector” or “Personal Lightning Detector” to determine the distance of the lightning strike.
e. If the lightning detector indicates that the lightning storm is less than 8 miles away, all outdoor intercollegiate activities must cease. All persons must immediately leave the athletic site and seek shelter. The locker room shower and plumbing facilities do not provide safe shelter and must not be used at this time due to the risk of electrical charge passing through the pipes.
f. If the “SkyScan Lightning Storm Detector” is unavailable, use the “flash to bang” method to determine the distance to a lightning strike. Count the seconds between seeing the lightning “flash” and hearing the clap of thunder “bang”. Divide this number by five to determine how far away, in miles, the lightning is occurring. g. If the “flash to bang” interval is rapidly decreasing, and the storm is approaching your location, or if the “flash to
bang” count approaches thirty (30) seconds, all outdoor intercollegiate activity must cease. All persons must immediately leave the athletic site and seek shelter.
h. Stay away from tall or individual trees, lone objects (i.e. light or flag poles), metal objects (i.e. metal fences or bleachers), standing pools of water, and open fields. Avoid being the tallest object in a field. Do not take shelter under a single tall tree.
i. A safe shelter is defined as:
a. any sturdy building that has metal plumbing or wiring, or both, to electrically ground the structure, i.e., not a shed or a shack, and
b. in the absence of a sturdy building as described above, any vehicle with a hard metal roof (i.e., not a convertible or golf cart) with the windows rolled up.
j. Safe shelters and travel time are listed below:
From Safe Shelter Travel Time
1) Faught Stadium Fitness Center 1 minute 2) Elsey Practice Fields Elsey Hall 1 minute Spurlock Center 2 minutes 3) Grizzly Park Tennis Courts Dietz Center 1 minute
Spurlock Center 2 minutes 4) Grizzly Park Softball Field Dietz Center 5 minutes Spurlock Center 7 minutes 5) Grizzly Park Track and Field Dietz Center 6 minutes Spurlock Center 9 minutes 6) Grizzly Park Practice Fields Dietz Center 8 minutes Spurlock Center 10 minutes
7) Baseball Field Dietz Center 3 minutes
Spurlock Center 4 minutes
k. If there is no safe shelter within a reasonable distance, crouch in a thick grove of small trees surrounded by larger trees or in a dry ditch. Crouch with only your feet touching the ground and keeping your feet close together, wrap your arms around your knees and lower your head to minimize your body’s surface area. Do not lie flat! Locate safe shelter as quickly as possible.
l. If you feel your hair stand on end or your skin tingle or hear crackling noises, immediately crouch (as in No. 11) to minimize your body surface area.
m. Allow 30 minutes to pass after the last sound of thunder or flash of lightning before resuming any intercollegiate athletic activity.
n. Do not use the telephone unless there is an emergency. People have been struck by lightning and killed while using a land-line telephone.
o. Lightning strike victims do not carry an electrical charge. CPR is safe for the responder and has been shown to be effective in reviving lightning strike victims.
p. Pay much more attention to the lightning than to the rain. It need not be raining for lightning to strike; lightning can strike far from the rain shaft.
Bennett, B.L. (1997). A Model Lightning Safety Policy for Athletics, Journal of Athletic Training. 32(3), pp. 251-255
College of William and Mary Lightning Safety Policy, in Bennett (1997).
2. Procedures for Extraordinary Environmental Conditions
a. Heat Illness
Coaches should encourage off-season aerobic conditioning to help athletes prepare for excessive heat.
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Clothing and protective gear interfere with the evaporation of sweat and overall heat loss; therefore, on “hot” days
athletes should wear light colored t-shirts and shorts and wear minimal protective gear.
Yearly comprehensive medical history and physical evaluations are performed on each athlete.
The Athletic Training Staff will monitor heat and humidity on a daily basis to determine practice “Zone.”
100 95 90 High 85 80 Moderate 75 70 Low 65 (*F) 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 Relative Humidity (%)
HIGH – DANGER Z ONE - Only fit and heat acclimatized athletes can participate, still use extreme caution. Practice modifications are necessary.
MODERATE – WARNING ZONE - Heat sensitive and un-acclimatized athletes may suffer, use caution during prolonged activity with multiple rest and water breaks.
LOW – SAFE ZONE - Little danger of heat stress.
To identify heat stress conditions, regular measurements of environmental conditions are recommended. Members
of the athletic training staff will take a reading using the “Ti-Plus Heat Index Warning System” or a sling psychrometer to measure the relative humidity and heat index to assess the potential impact of humidity, air temperature and solar radiation. The readings will be communicated to the head coach and proper practice modifications suggested if necessary.
Fluid replacement must be readily available
o Athletes should drink as much fluid as frequently as comfort allows
o Athletes should drink 17-20 fluid oz. 2-3 hours preceding practice/competition, 7-10 fluid ounces 10- 20 minutes prior to exercise and continue drinking at least 7-10 ounces every 15-20 minutes of play.
Carbonated drinks with caffeine should be discouraged.
o After practice/competition every pound of weight lost will be replenished with one 20 ounce glass of fluid within 1-2 hours.
o Body weight will be recorded before and after practice/competition to insure proper re-hydration for the following sports:
Football
Soccer – Men’s and Women’s
Volleyball Eating tips
o Eat several small, carbohydrate-rich meals throughout the day. o Avoid meals high in fat or protein.
o Use high-carb supplements with meals or as snacks. o Lightly salt foods or eat salty foods.
Some athletes may be more susceptible to heat illness
o Over weight individuals – closely monitor progress. o Individuals with a history of heat illness.
o Athletes with a history of asthma.
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o Athletes inadequately acclimatized or not aerobically fit. o Athletes who are on prescription or over the counter drugs.
Dehydration signs and symptoms o Thirst o Irritability o Headache o Weakness o Dizziness o Cramps o Chills o Nausea o Decrease in performance
H. Franklin College Emergency Action Plans
1. Individual Roles
In establishing a comprehensive emergency action plan, each individual within the department has certain responsibilities to ensure the plan works as developed.
a. CERTIFIED ATHLETIC TRAINER – Primary care and first aid for the injured athlete. Must be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Takes supervision role over the implementation and operation of the emergency action plan. Has updated and accessible emergency information for athletes and for the college. Has established communication lines with on-site EMS (when available) and will summon them on to the competition site. Responsible for finding an individual from the coaching / athletic training staff to accompany the individual, as a professional courtesy, to the hospital. Will contact the head athletic trainer and team physician as soon as possible in an emergency situation.
a. HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER – In addition to filling the role of the certified athletic trainer, will contact the athletics director regarding emergency and other situations as deemed necessary. Is responsible for arranging EMS and/or M.D. coverage of events at the college.
b. TEAM PHYSICIAN – Provide advanced medical aid for the injured athlete. Takes command from a certified athletic trainer or nurse practitioner in an emergency situation when deemed necessary.
c. NURSE PRACTITIONER – Provide advance medical aid for the injured athlete.
d. SECURITY OFFICER – Provide emergency communication to a designated local ambulance service. Escort the emergency vehicle on and off campus. Provide crowd control when necessary.
e. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES – Provide advanced medical care and transportation to a medical facility determined by the certified athletic trainer. Must be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Immediately available for high-risk events (i.e. home football games), “on-call” for other events and activities. f. TEAM COACHES – Must have first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training or the equivalent
as preparation for handling athletic emergencies in the absence of a certified athletic trainer. Understand and be competent in the implementation and operation of the emergency action plan. Takes a supervisory role when a certified athletic trainer or a student athletic trainer is not present. Responsible for contacting the athletic trainer responsible for that team and the teams head coach.
g. STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACHES – Must have first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training or the equivalent as preparation for handling athletic emergencies in the absence of a certified athletic trainer. Understand and be competent in the implementation and operation of the emergency action plan. Takes a supervisory role when a certified athletic trainer is not present. Responsible for contacting the athletic trainer responsible for that team and the teams head coach.
h. ATHLETIC DIRECTOR – Must be made aware of all emergency and serious situations within the athletics department. Consult with the President and sports information director about an athletics department statement regarding the incident. All public statements will be approved in advance by the athletic director.
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i. SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR – Responsible for release of a prepared statement to appropriate outlets.
2. Emergency Action Plan Chain of Command
a. Chain of command in an emergency situation
1) If a member of the athletic training staff or medical staff is present, that person will take command of the situation.
2) The coach is to be available to assist the medical staff as needed.
3) If there is no athletic training staff or medical staff available the head coach shall take command of the situation.
b. Notifying Emergency Medical Services
1) A second member of the athletic training staff (certified or student member) is to call Security. This role may also be filled by either an assistant coach or a student athlete.
Emergency Telephone Protocol a) Stay calm
b) Dial 8888 from an on campus phone (Security), or 9-1-1 from an off campus phone or pay phone (EMS).
c) Provide the 9-1-1 operator with:
Caller’s name and title
Nature of injury / situation
Exact location of the injured person / situation (be very specific)
DO NOT HANG UP until instructed by the operator to do so.
2) The same individual who notified Security will meet the ambulance at the pre-determined location. 3) Security will notify the local ambulance service and escort EMS from the campus entrance to the location
of the emergency.