Emergency Response
March 27, 2012
Bob Liebau
Associate Director of Campus Recreation
University of Mary Washington
Editor’s Note: In this two part series, the Eagle C.A.R.E Concussion Management Program is divided into two parts (a) Education and Baseline Testing and (b) Concussion Management & Assessment and Post Concussion Treatment Plan.
Concussions awareness has increased astronomically in recent years; professional ice hockey players and football players have become highly visible icons for the need for better understanding of the injury, management of the injury, and guideline for return-to-play decisions. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Athletic Trainers Association and other professional and medical organizations have established guidelines for concussion management. Concussions can be serious and potentially life threatening injuries. Research agrees that these injuries can have serious consequences later in life if not managed properly at the time of the initial injury. However, before going any further, it is important to understand what a concussion is.
A concussion is also referred to as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The injury is caused by when there is a direct or indirect physical insult to the brain. As a result, impairment of mental functions such as memory, balance and equilibrium, and vision may occur. It is important to understand that many sport-related concussions do not result in a loss of consciousness. This predicates that all suspected head injuries must be taken seriously.
The Department of Campus Recreation at the University of Mary Washington realized a record number of reported concussions and one death (not a UMW student-athlete) during the 2010-11 academic years. This emphasized the importance of having an appropriate concussion management program to safeguard the well-being of all student-athletes participating in Sport Club Programs. The result is the Department of Campus Recreation’s Eagle CARE Concussion Management Program. The program was developed in collaboration with Mary Washington Healthcare/Mary Washington Hospital and its Neuroscience Center for Excellence.
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March 22, 2012
Rob Frye
Director, Campus Recreation
Florida International University
I took the call at home about 9:10pm on Thursday, March 25, 2010. It was one of those calls a campus recreation director never wants to receive – there had been a stabbing outside the Recreation Center, campus police were on-site, the suspect was on the loose, and our staff were attending the victim. In the fastest 20 minutes that a normal 30-minute drive could be made, I arrived to find the building surrounded by flashing lights, a crowd of people outside, my staff on lock-down inside, and the beginning of what was to become a long and tragic week for the University.
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March 22, 2012
Bob Liebau
Associate Director of Campus Recreation
University of Mary Washington
Editor’s Note: This article is part two in a series documenting the Eagle C.A.R.E Concussion Management Program. Part 1 focused on the ‘Education and Baseline Testing’ part of the program. The current article deals with’ Concussion Management & Assessment’ and the ‘Post Concussion Treatment Plan’.
Concussion Management and Assessment
The summary items for this component are:
- Student-athlete is immediately removed from play
- Sport Club first responder or coach will provide sideline assessment following Pocket SCAT2 guidelines (http://www.irbplayerwelfare.com/pdfs/Pocket_SCAT2_EN.pdf). This pocket assessment tool provides a step-by-step process for identifying a concussion. It is endorsed by FIFA, IIHF, IOC, and the IRB.
- A student-athlete that looses consciousness or whose condition worsens will immediately be transported to Mary Washington Hospital by ambulance/rescue squad
- A student-athlete who is conscious but has exhibited signs and/or symptoms of a concussion is to be referred to Mary Washington Hospital for evaluation
- Student-athlete will notify physician upon arrival of ImPACT data availability
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January 17, 2012
New Webinar Series on developing an effective EAP
Sean Ries, Associate Director
Campus Recreation Services
Cleveland State University
Campus Recreation departments must have an effective Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place. The plan needs to cover all possible emergencies (e.g. medical emergency, fire, evacuation, severe weather, chemical spill etc.) and be consistent between all program and facility units within the department. Everyone in the department (full and part-time staff) needs to be well trained.
At Cleveland State University, effective and efficient emergency response is a top priority for Campus Recreation. Over the years, a comprehensive EAP has been developed, tested and refined, and consists of two key elements:
- Developing the EAP framework
- Training staff on EAP implementation
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December 08, 2011
A Vital Component in your Training Plan
Rich Bricker
Facilities Coordinator – RecSports
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
At the University of Tennessee RecSports department the Facilities and Aquatics program areas are involved in running drills on their staff. As a result of a fatal cardiac arrest in 2007 and a near drowning in 2009 both of these program areas decided to add more hands-on training to the current emergency response plan in the form of drills. For the purposes of UT RecSports, a drill is a scenario in which student workers are placed in a false crisis in order to practice emergency response procedures. These situations take place in various locations throughout all RecSports facilities.
The following article contains two parts: practical drills and research. The first section deals with our drill program, and the article explains the approach that the University of Tennessee RecSports program takes to ensure that our manager level staff has practical experience in dealing with emergency situations. By using a drill scenario, we believe that we are getting as close to a “real life” crisis as possible. In the second section, the article explains some of the research that was performed using the RecSports Facilities managers. We wanted to determine if running drills affected the self-reported level of confidence that the managers felt when dealing with emergency situations.
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November 21, 2011
Katharine M. Nohr, JD
Nohr Sports Risk Management, LLC
Japan is in the process of recovering from a horrendous 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a deadly tsunami. The west coast of the United States and Hawaii also sustained millions of dollars of damages because of the tsunami generated from the Japan earthquake, but such damage was far less than feared. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, mud slides, and fires are some of the natural disasters that occur in the world every year, costing lives, destroying property and ending viable businesses. Some of those businesses are sport and recreation facilities, Universities, colleges, and schools. Just as families have to prepare themselves in the event of disaster, so should those in the business of sport and recreation.
Does your organization have an up to date, detailed and practiced disaster plan? Is the plan designed to protect people, property and business continuity? Most likely, your organization has somewhat of a disaster plan, but it is missing elements and staff and volunteers may not be aware of its details. With recent catastrophic disasters in mind, it is a good time to establish a committee and employ a risk management consultant to update the plan.
Three objectives should be met in considering your organizations’ disaster plan:
- Protect People
- Protect Property
- Protect Business Continuity
The following are some of the considerations for meeting such goals.
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