Anyone do medical coverage for sports events?

[captainstandup]

As an EMS Director the issue of providing and ambulance for youth league sporting events was a political aggravation and a real pain in the ass due to the number of weekly events. We finally stopped doing them and told the officials to call 911 if they needed help. At one point the athletic associations attempted to apply pressure to us politically by implementing a rule that if an ambulance wasn't standing by they had to stop the games. Considering the fact there were at times seven different locations where games were being played on Saturday, this wasn't happening. The local rescue squad was horrible and wouldn't assist as were the volunteer FD's. I finally told the youth league sports "administration" that we were no longer providing standby services due to negative impact on response times. In my opinion if youth league sports are so inherently dangerous (and my sons play football) that an ambulance is required to stand by, then it's likely theses activities are too dangerous for participation by children. What's next, perhaps we will become so limpwristed and whiney that we will call 911 and request a standby at our homes each time our kids and their friends play on the swings or jump on a trampoline. Come to think of it my lawn is really steep in places, what if my tractor overturns? I know, I'll have EMS, Fire, Rescue and a local aeromedical chopper stand by in my yard.

[Eydawn]

For this one I don't necessarily think there'll be huge crowds watching- just from the description given. Sounds like something that participants are more interested in... and no way family will be there for 18 hours. Even the cuckoo ones who are devoted support the family types will be out in smaller numbers.

That's a good one I didn't think of... who is feeding participants? How likely is it that you'll get hypoglycemic issues?

As for treating the crowd at events... tell me about it... having done first aid at the Bandimere Family Fun 4th of July weekend a couple of times (drag strip racetrack in CO) you definitely see many more injuries/problems from the crowds.

Standby at youth sporting events is the dumbest thing I think I have ever heard of. If your coach or assistant coach or parent can't treat minor stuff and is uber-paranoid about the kids getting seriously injured, something is very wrong with the team/organization. I was the assistant coach for my brother's soccer team when he was 11, and did all our first aid stuff (and that was BEFORE I was an EMT...) It really isn't that hard. If you've got a major problem, you call 911 just like anyone else.

Just some more ideas!

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[firespec35]

Standing by at youth sporting events is not dumb. Granted it is not done a whole lot outside of the high school realm here. If the association has the money to contract an ambulance, let em. Why tax 911 if you don't have to especially in major urban areas. Usually we only run BLS at most games but at least they are to the ER quicker. And I've taken at least 2 that I can remember from football games that had no feeling below the neck. Could some be drama? maybe Did they recover? hopefully. Why make them wait 30 min to get a truck there.

And truthfully why are our kids worth less than pros or college athletes? People would be shocked, horrified and screaming if there was not an ambulance at the NCAA, NFL, MLB,NHL or MLS games now granted I know the kids generate less force than the pros in all they do but they also do not have the training that they pros/college do to prevent injuries.

Now mind you this is coming from someone who played many hours of full contact pickup football up untill age 28 with no pads and no worries of injury.

[Eydawn]

There is a distinct difference between the PALS league and the HS arena. If your school district has the resources to contract with a private and ensure that an ambulance will not be taken out of service where it is needed, then that is fine. The little guys usually don't need much more than first aid, fortunately.

If you're an inner city high school that can't afford textbooks, you certainly can't have that as an option, and it is foolish to try to force the local EMS (public, 3rd service, etc) to stage there for free because it is a "requirement" that your league has. Unless the school district has something worked out with EMS, it isn't going to happen.

No one is saying that our children are less precious than professional athletes... it just simply isn't financially feasible and pretty much overkill to have an ambulance, BLS or not, at every sporting event they attend/participate in. Professional teams can afford to contract with private companies, ergo, it has become their standard.

If you have a good athletic trainer or intelligent coach there to provide interim care while waiting on an ambulance (hopefully there in less than 30 minutes on a call of 'loss of feeling' subsequent to any kind of trauma... sounds like there are greater issues at hand with that one) you don't need an ambulance waiting on scene. As long as the trainer etc. knows how to hold C-spine, splint musculoskeletal injuries or do CPR and the refs can do crowd control... you see where I'm going with this?

Look at it this way... you have a group of kids playing capture the flag in the local park. There's obstacles they might trip on, they're not wearing helmets, and being kids, they're going to climb trees. All dangerous and could potentially cause a C-spine situation like you mentioned. Should parents insist that ambulances be available in every park? Similar kind of thing here....

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[firespec35]

The parents want to insist let them pay. They don't want to pay they don't get a standby

[Dustdevil]

And truthfully why are our kids worth less than pros or college athletes?

They aren't. It's not about the athletes. It's about the crowd. Forty-thousand versus a few dozen.

[firespec35]

They aren't. It's not about the athletes. It's about the crowd. Forty-thousand versus a few dozen.

Not true. Where do you sit for a HS football game? I know that I sit on the sidelines or out of the end zone as does a crew for the pros. Granted there are more crews to handle the crowd at a pro or NCAA gig and if something happened in my crowd of course I would treat it. I've had this conversation with my mgmt. Our primary focus is the participants and working with the Athletic Training staff.

[Dustdevil]

Not true. Where do you sit for a HS football game?

Yes, true. Because I've never worked anywhere that did HS football standbys. If you are, I'm not sure why, unless you are a private provider contracted to do so. From a city of 1 million people to towns with only a couple thousand residents, I've never worked an EMS provider that provided HS standbys, just pro sports. My point remains valid. In those cases where we provided a sports standby, it was because of the size of the crowd, and because the team PAID for that service, not because they were "worth" any more than our kids. I ask you, why would kids be worth any more than anybody else?

[spenac]

Schools in our area have tried claiming that an ambulance is required to be at football games. They were wrong. But most small towns in my area do send an ambulance to the games. Really many do it for good public relations. But the ambulance is usually parked where it can get out if it is needed elsewhere.

[firespec35]

I think we are looking at this from 2 different areas. No, an ambulace is not "required" at all sporting events and any sports association , whether it be a school or private league, that tries to force a 911 provider to be there free of charge by using political pressure needs their management changed immediately. But if the association chooses to pay for the service I see no problem with that either. If people did not pay for it I might be out of a part time job I really enjoy. I do not see it as wussifying of our kids or being overprotective.