Rehearsed Catastrophic Emergency Plan: A Coach’s Duty

catastrophic sports injury: any severe injury incurred during participation in a school or college sponsored sport; includes three categories: fatal; non-fatal (resulting in permanent severe functional disability); and serious (no permanent functional disability but severe injury). (source: Medical News Today) Rehearsed Catastrophic Emergency Plan: A Coach’s Duty written by Kimberly Archie, Founder National Cheer Safety Foundation It is a coach’s legal and moral responsibility to plan in advance for timely, injury appropriate response when a catastrophic emergency occurs. A rehearsed catastrophic emergency plan is a crucial part of managing risk in sport. After the review of more than 1000 catastrophic sport injury reports between 1982 and 2012, one pattern stood out like a sore thumb: Programs lacked a rehearsed catastrophic emergency plan. Since 1982 95% of all catastrophic injuries to high school and college athletes in the United States occurred in football or cheerleading. So for coaches in these two sports it is a top priority to not only prevent injuries but be prepared for those they can’t prevent. In cheerleading we understand that our athletes defy gravity and with that comes the risk that when something goes wrong, it can be very serious. The National Cheer Safety Foundation’s Panel of Experts recommends that each organization that sponsors athletic activities or events develop, implement and rehearse a written emergency plan. Emergency plans should be developed by organizational or institutional personnel in consultation with local emergency medical services. Also, the program should build a rapport with local emergency medical services (EMS) and contact EMS ahead of time whenever you have an event, clinic, camp or competition for cheereladers. While most injuries sustained during athletics or other physical activity is relatively minor, the potential for limb or life-threatening emergencies in athletics and physical activity can occur without warning. Proper management of these injuries is critical and should be carried out by trained health services personnel to minimize risk to the injured participant. The organization or institution and its employees and or volunteers can be placed at risk by the lack of a rehearsed emergency plan, which may be the foundation of a legal claim such as with cheerleader Ashley Burns and football player Max Gilpin. One important lesson every coach should know is to program the local EMS number in their cell phone so if they need to call from their cell for emergency response they get straight through. In most states, if you call 911 from your cell the call is rerouted, and that can take precious minutes which could be the difference between life and death. The athletic health care team may be comprised of appropriate health care professionals in consultation with administrators, coaches, parents and participants. Appropriate health care professionals could be: certified athletic trainers, team physicians, consulting physicians, school nurses, physical therapists, EMS personnel, dentists and other allied health care professionals. Components of the emergency plan must include identification of the personnel involved, specification of the equipment needed to respond to the emergency, and establishment of a communication system to summon emergency care. Additional components of the emergency plan are identification of the mode of emergency transport, specification of the venue or activity location, and incorporation of it emergency service personnel into the development and implementation process. Emergency plans should be reviewed and rehearsed annually, with written documentation of any modifications. The plan should identify responsibility for documentation of actions taken during the emergency, evaluation of the emergency response, institutional personnel training, and equipment maintenance. It is also important to register your emergency plan. Additional training of the involved personnel should include automatic external defibrillation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid, prevention of disease transmission, heat illness prevention, head injury return to play guidelines and the importance of injury reporting. To get started you may download the most comprehensive sport emergency action plan available for free at and remember: “Safety Doesn’t Hurt”. Disclaimer: This article is the personal opinion of our guest author. It does not represent any other entity. The content is for informational and entertainment use only and is not intended as legal or medical advice. If you have legal or medical issues, contact the appropriate professional. Read Kimberly Archie’s biography to find out more about her mission and achievements.