Vikings are prepared for medical emergencies on the field

Mary Harrison, Campus Carrier sports editor

On Jan. 2, National Football League (NFL) player Damar Hamlin, a safety for the Buffalo Bills, suffered a heart attack during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The 24-year-old survived and started the recovery process this month, also sparking a nationwide conversation about athlete safety.

Berry College Head Football Coach Tony Kunczewski said that Hamlin’s incident and others like it remind him of the collapse of one of his own players on the field four and a half        years ago.

Then-sophomore Justus Edwards (22C) suffered a spinal injury after a hard hit that resulted in paralysis, an injury that Kunczewski calls a coach’s worst fear.

Kunczewski said he had not witnessed an incident like it before nor has since, and thankfully Edwards has recovered well. However, Kunczewski said players do run an especially high risk of injuries on the gridiron due to the physicality            of football.

“Accidents happen, and football is a contact sport where those kinds of things happen from time to time,” Kunczewski said. “Like most sports, in football, there’s an emphasis on toughness. There’s a fine line between being tough and putting yourself in danger.”

Kunczewski said that he could tell, by the way Berry’s athletic training staff and partnering emergency responders jumped into action to help Edwards at the time, that they are prepared, something for which he, his players and their families are thankful.

“I think those people don’t get enough credit, from our team physicians to athletic training staff,” Kunczewski said. “They’re well-equipped to do their job, but they care, too. It’s not just a job to them. It’s a mission.”

Abby Daniels (16C), an assistant athletic trainer who works with Vikings football and softball, said that she and her five fellow athletic trainers prepare emergency response equipment, like the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) that saved Hamlin’s life, each day before going to practices and games.

“We don’t want these things to happen,” Daniels said. “That’s a bad day at work.”

Additionally, each of Berry’s athletic event venues has an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) posted on the walls of the facility, which details information like step-by-step driving instructions to the venue, AED locations and who should be called in case of an emergency.

Trainers refresh themselves on these EAPs before the beginning of each season, Daniels said, as well as responding to a simulated emergency situation in Valhalla Stadium every August.

All student workers in Berry’s sports medicine department, around 70, participate in this simulation. They also know EAP location and take CPR training every year, Daniels said, though certifications last for two years. 

Coaches also are required to be CPR-certified and usually know an event venue’s EAP, meaning that there is at least one person trained in emergency response at each organized varsity sport activity. 

Daniels said that Berry requests that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) attend every home game, although their presence depends on the sport’s risk level and team size. For example, an ambulance crew might drop by a tennis match versus staying on site for an entire football game, which carries more risk of emergent injury.

Recreational sports activities carry even less risk, particularly because few are contact sports, but precautions are still taken to protect students that participate in intramural sports and outdoor activities offered by Berry, according to Director of Recreation Victor Morales.

Besides professional staff, each of the between 80 and 100 student workers in the recreation department are required to be CPR-certified through the American Red Cross, including intramural officials and scorekeepers and staffers at the Cage Center’s circulation and equipment rental desks. 

Trainings address treatments for common sports injuries like sprains, strains, broken bones and concussions, as well as response to specific emergency situations like someone blacking out on the Berry Outdoor Leadership Development (BOLD) ropes course.

Students who lead outdoor trips such as hikes and caving trips also receive special first aid training for “wilderness” situations, Morales said, defined as an official emergency response being more than an hour away.

Morales said that only about one major, initial injury occurs a year, like a concussion, sprain or strain. However, staff also respond to and file incident reports for minor injuries like cuts, bruises and splinters, as well as re-occurring injuries, most commonly displaced shoulders or re-torn ACLs.

“Pretty much anytime that we’re opening a first aid kit, there’s an incident report that’s being written,” Morales said.

Morales said that he reviews these reports at least once a semester and considers if any procedures should be changed to prevent similar accidents in the future. Berry’s Department of Recreation also takes into account incident trends at other schools when considering potential rule changes. 

Damar Hamlin’s heart attack episode sparked refresher trainings within the recreation department, Morales said. Upcoming CPR trainings, already planned, will emphasize the importance of knowing AED locations, and the department is now considering the purchase of a portable AED to take on off-campus trips to “wilderness” locations.

Students who experience an emergency on campus, although not participating in school-organized sports, should call the Gate House at 706-236-2262, not 911. Every campus police officer is CPR certified and carries and AED in their car.

One safety improvement that Berry could make on campus is setting up more emergency response buttons around recreational facilities like the pickleball courts and practice fields, Morales said, as well as better educating student on the emergency services offered on-campus, more than the cursory introduction given during the admissions process.

Specifically, Morales said that most students do not know that if an ambulance is called to respond an emergency on campus, Berry will cover that cost for students.

“I think students are afraid of getting tickets and not so much thinking about the benefits of having police on staff,” Morales said.

Daniels said that making students aware of all EAP locations for venues could be a step for improvement.

For students who would like to be prepared to respond to emergencies themselves, the Kinesiology Department offers a one-credit elective in first aid, KIN 220, one section of which is taught by Morales. 

There is also an American Red Cross Club that started last year, which Morales advises, where students can participate in trainings, and those who officially volunteer can be certified for free.

Additionally, Morales said that students can email recreation@berry.edu and request to join one of the department’s internal trainings, offered at least twice a month.  Recreation staff recently held an inter-departmental instructor training, so there are also professional staff campuswide who are certified to teach first aid.

“Pretty much anytime that we’re opening a first aid kit, there’s an incident report that’s being written,” Morales said.

Morales said that he reviews these reports at least once a semester and considers if any procedures should be changed to prevent similar accidents in the future. Berry’s Department of Recreation also takes into account incident trends at other schools when considering potential rule changes. 

Damar Hamlin’s heart attack episode sparked refresher trainings within the recreation department, Morales said. Upcoming CPR trainings, already planned, will emphasize the importance of knowing AED locations, and the department is now considering the purchase of a portable AED to take on off-campus trips to “wilderness” locations.

Students who experience an emergency on campus, although not participating in school-organized sports, should call the Gate House at 706-236-2262, not 911. Every campus police officer is CPR certified and carries an AED in their patrol car, Morales said.

One safety improvement that Berry could make on campus is setting up more emergency response buttons around recreational facilities like the pickleball courts and practice fields, Morales said, as well as better educating students on the emergency services offered on-campus, more than the cursory introduction given during the admissions process.

Specifically, Morales said that most students do not know that if an ambulance is called to respond an emergency on campus, Berry will cover that cost for students.

“I think students are afraid of getting tickets and not so much thinking about the benefits of having police on staff,” Morales said.

Daniels, the athletic trainer, said that making students aware of all EAP locations for venues could be a step for improvement.

For students who would like to be prepared to respond to emergencies themselves, the Kinesiology Department offers a one-credit elective in first aid, KIN 220, one section of which is taught by Morales. 

There is also an American Red Cross Club that started last year, which Morales advises, where students can participate in trainings, and those who officially volunteer can be certified for free.

Additionally, Morales said that students can email recreation@berry.edu and request to join one of the department’s internal trainings, offered at least twice a month.  Recreation staff recently held an inter-departmental instructor training, so there are also professional staff campuswide who are certified to teach first aid.

Sophomore Brooke Jones, a forward on the women’s basketball team, learned about Hamlin’s heart attack in the middle of her season. However, Jones said that, other than some conversations in the locker room with her teammates, she has tried not to think about the incident on the court. Jones said she always feels safe to play because Berry’s athletic training staff is hands on and involved in health and safety in practices and games.

“You just want to think that wouldn’t be you,” Jones said.