EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
What is An Emergency Action Plan (EAP)?
An emergency action plan is a written document that provides necessary information and emergency planning to team physicians, athletic trainers, coaches, and athletes in case of a sports injury.
General Information on EAP's
-Must be comprehensive and practical yet flexible
-Must include all emergency components listed above
-Must be reviewed and rehearsed anually
-All personnel share a professional and legal duty to provide an EAP
-Must be reviewed by the administration and legal counsel
-Must include all emergency components listed above
-Must be reviewed and rehearsed anually
-All personnel share a professional and legal duty to provide an EAP
-Must be reviewed by the administration and legal counsel
Components of An EAP:
-Emergency Personnel
(Team Physician, Athletic Trainer, Coaches)
-Emergency Communication
(landlines, cell phones, radios, etc.)
-EmergencyEquipment
(AED, trauma kit, splint kit, spine board, etc.)
-Roles of First Responders
(immediate care of the imjured or ill student athlete, emergency equiment retrieval)
-Activation of Emergency Medical System (EMS)
(911 call; provide name, title or position, address, telephone number, number of individuals injured, condition of injured, first aid treatment, specific directions, other information as requested)
-Venue Directions
(directions to sports field or facility once on campus or in general area)
-Sports Medicine Staff and Phone Numbers
(ATC in charge, Head ATC, Team Physician)
(Team Physician, Athletic Trainer, Coaches)
-Emergency Communication
(landlines, cell phones, radios, etc.)
-EmergencyEquipment
(AED, trauma kit, splint kit, spine board, etc.)
-Roles of First Responders
(immediate care of the imjured or ill student athlete, emergency equiment retrieval)
-Activation of Emergency Medical System (EMS)
(911 call; provide name, title or position, address, telephone number, number of individuals injured, condition of injured, first aid treatment, specific directions, other information as requested)
-Venue Directions
(directions to sports field or facility once on campus or in general area)
-Sports Medicine Staff and Phone Numbers
(ATC in charge, Head ATC, Team Physician)
Implementation
The EAP must first be written down in order to provide a clear response mechanism in case of an emergency. It may be organized into a flow sheet or chart. Secondly, all personnel included in the EAP must be educated of and be familiar with the emergency plan. Lastly, the EAP must be rehearsed annually in order to avoid confusion and disorder in case of an emergency.
Personnel
Emergency personnel must be included in the EAP. This section may consist of team physicians, athletic trainers, and coaches. All personnel associated with practices, competitions, skills instruction, and strength & conditioning activities should have training in automatic external defibrillation & and current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitaiton, first aid, and the prevention of disease transmission.
Equipment
All emergency equipment must be on site and be easily accessisble. It is important that equipment is in good working condition and all emergency personnel should be trained beforehand on how to use it properly. All equipment should be checked regularly to ensure that it is in good working condition.
Communication
In case of emergency, it is important that there are multiple means of communication, whether it is a landline, radio, or mobile phone, in order to be able to come in contact with emergency personnel or an emergency medical system.
Transportation
The EAP must include a means of transportation of the sick or injured. It is important to make sure an ambulance is on site at certain athletic events where the risk of injury is more probable.
Venue Location
Directions to the site of the practice or competition must be very specific so that if needed, an amulance can quickly and easily find its way to the sick or injured.