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Emergency
Action
Plans
Why are Emergency Action Plans (EAP) important?
Emergency action plans provide guidelines and templates for
documentation of emergency planning to help prepare individuals for a
catastrophic injury situation within sports.
• The top causes of sudden death in sport: cardiac, head injuries, heat stroke,
exertional sickling, asthma, anaphylaxis, direct trauma, lightening, and
hyponatremia
• 425 catastrophic injuries resulted in permanent disability injuries and 398
catastrophic injuries resulted in full recovery
• 4% of sport related deaths in the US in 2013 were youth athletes under the
age of 17
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What does the research say?
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The EAP should be reviewed at least
once per year with all athletic personnel
along with CPR and first aid refresher
training.
The development and implementation of
an EAP helps ensure the best care is
provided in the event of an emergency.
Despite pre-participation screening,
healthy-appearing competitive athletes
may harbor unsuspected cardiovascular
disease with a potential to cause sudden
death and therefore preparation should
include:
• The formation and implementation of
an EAP
• Education and training on cardiac
conditions and CPR/AED
• Maintenance of emergency equipment
and supplies
• Appropriate use of personnel
Early defibrillation is critical in the event of a cardiac
emergency with the target goal of under 3 minutes from the
time of collapse to the first shock. Therefore clear, detailed
and practiced EAPs are essential to keep this goal
attainable when time is of the essence.
In the event of an emergency,
the 911 Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) system should
be activated as quickly as
possible and with accurate
information to ensure
appropriate medical personnel
are dispatched. The first
responders need to be trained
on what to do to expedite this
Currently it is unknown if
emergency action plans
were in place at schools
where sudden deaths took
place. The Korey Stringer
Institute is examining
these cases in depth from
2000-2013 with the help
of the National Center for
Catastrophic Sport Injury
Research. This project
may help identify what
percentage of cases
lacked EAPs.
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Best Practice Recommendations
Evidence-Based Best Practice Recommendations
Meets Best
Practice
Recommendation
1. Every school should develop an EAP for managing serious and or potentially
life-threatening injuries.
2. The EAP should be developed and coordinated with local EMS, venue public
safety officials, on site medical personnel or organization administrators.
3. Every school should have a written EAP document distributed to all staff
members.
4. The EAP should be specific to each venue and include maps and/or specific
directions to that venue.
5. On-site emergency equipment that may be needed in an emergency
situation should be listed.
6. The EAP should identify personnel and their responsibilities to carry out the
plan of action with a designated chain of command.
7. Appropriate contact information for EMS.
8. Facility address, location, contact information etc. should be identified in
the EAP.
9. Plan should specify documentation actions that need to be taken post
emergency.
10. EAP should be reviewed and rehearsed annually by all parties involved.
11. Healthcare professionals who will provide medical coverage during games,
practices, or other events should be included.
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Notes:
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Ensure every school
develops an EAP for
managing serious and or
potentially life-
threatening injuries?
• Emergency management of
injuries in sport should be
handled by a trained medical
professional
• Preparation for response to
emergencies includes
education and training,
maintenance of emergency
equipment and supplies, and
appropriate use of personnel
• Additionally, the
implementation of all of
these critical steps to
managing an emergent event
should be documented
within an EAP
Emergency
Action Plan
Identify personnel and
their responsibilities to
carry out the plan of
action with a designated
chain of command?
• Due to the variability of the
first responder on scene, it is
important to recognize the
level of medical training for
each member of the EAP
team
• Trainings to be considered
include:
o CPR
o AED
o First Aid
o Athletic Trainer
o First Responder/ EMT/
Paramedic
o Doctor (appropriate type of
doctor is NECESSARY!)
o Nurse
o Other Medical provider?
First responder
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• Each venue or athletic facility has
a different layout, directions and
accessibility
•
Due to the variability, it is
imperative to have separate plans
for each site
• Transportation from the venue to a
medical facility is one of the most
vital parts of an EAP
•
In order to relay the appropriate
information to EMS it is necessary
for each venue to have its own
EAP specifying its:
! Address
!
Different locations within the
venue itself
! EMS entrance place
!
Important people to contact in
case of an emergency
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2
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Why is it important to…
Develop EAPs specifically
for each venue, including
appropriate contact
information for EMS, facility
address, location and maps
and/or specific directions to
that venue?
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Identify and list the equipment needed in an emergency
situation?
•
Specific emergency equipment should be on site and quickly accessible and are
vital for the ability to save a life
• Emergency equipment includes:
o Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)
o Medical Kit and Splint Kit
• Band-Aids, gauze, gloves, cleaning solution, tape, etc.
Why is it important to…
Develop, coordinate, include and distribute the EAP to
local EMS, venue public safety officials, on-site medical
personnel, staff members, health care professionals or
organization administrators?
• First responders on the scene vary day-to-day, sport-to-sport
• There is possibility of variability of the first responder and assisting
roles, it is important to identify all possible individuals who may
assume one of these roles
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Specify documentation actions that need to be taken post
emergency?
• It is important to remember that this is a working document.
• All of the preparedness in the world can still relate in flaws within the plan
itself.
• Following an emergency situation, it is important to debrief immediately post
emergency in order to identify the areas of necessary improvement.
Review and rehearse the EAP annually by all parties involved?
• Education and preparedness are one of the most effective aspects of
emergency management, allowing personnel to:
o Maintain their emergency skills at a high level of competency
o Communicate new policies before the start of a season or
tournament
o Improve overall team communication
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Implementation Sequence
Implementation Strategy
Complete
Identify what your organization does well
Identify what your organization can improve upon
Increase knowledge by reviewing example documents
Consider who key personnel are to your organization
Consider all possible venues
Draft a general EAP
Have several people review the EAP
o Including medical personnel, EMS, coaches and parents
Create a final EAP
Post the EAP in several different locations
Revisit policy annually and revise as necessary
Key Personnel
•
Athletic Trainers
•
Coaches
•
Parents
•
Administrators
• Emergency Medical
Services
Equipment
Keys to gates
$20
AEDs and other
emergency
equipment
$varies
Lamination of
EAP and posting
$50
First Aid kit
$40
CPR/AED
Training for
coaches
$40-60/coach
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Essential Framework
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Potential Barriers and Solutions
Problem:
Public fields may be hesitant to post EAPs on the fields when other people also use them.
Solutions:
• Make sure to label your EAP clearly and properly for your school
• Collaborate with fields/grounds manager to create an EAP that can be used by all
individuals on the field
Problem: No medical staff at the event
Solutions:
o
It is very important to have a plan of some kind posted for activities taking place even if
you are unable to have medical staff present
o In the EAP document, specifically note the most medically trained
individual will take point of the situation
Problem: Too many different venues with different addresses
Solutions:
o
Consider making a general EAP with standard procedures for all venues, but include
separate venue-specific addresses/directions in special sections or on laminated ‘911
Calling-Cards
o Each card can be placed at its respective venue, laminated, and velcroed to the
permanent EAP or in coaches’ binders
o This also allows for the Calling Card to be moveable and easily transported to the
patient
Problem: What if people don’t understand the EAP?
I can’t possibly go to every person involved in our school
and explain the whole thing to them!
Solutions:
o Have outsiders review the document
o Parents who have no medical training should review the document
o Medical professionals should review the document
o Coaches should review the document
o Make sure the document is at an 8
th
grade reading level
o The EAP should be specific enough that there is no grey area about role
delineation, but general enough that any group of individuals can quickly
decide their roles
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