Creating a medical-emergency plan and teaching employees how to embrace it

By Jamie Sirkin

On Jan. 2, 2023, Monday Night Football was anything but ordinary. Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a medical emergency on live television. Tens of thousands of fans were present in the stadium, and an estimated 23-million viewers tuned in on televisions and mobile devices. Most fans watch footballs games with one object in mind—entertainment. This is similar to the way campers and their families view camp. Of course, as camping professionals we see much more value—taking safe risks, building relationships, exposing participants to new activities, building life skills, and the list goes on. To achieve both our goal as camping professionals and our customers’ goals, we spend much time preparing, and this includes for emergencies. Camp professionals can review the NFL’s response to Hamlin’s medical emergency and apply lessons learned.

Lesson #1—Be Prepared

It is a requirement that each NFL team and stadium create an emergency plan, which is reviewed by the league and a third party. Camps also have emergency plans that are specific to their site and programs. These plans should also be reviewed utilizing industry standards, along with a third party, including the local Department of Health. Local emergency teams, including fire and police, should also review the plans annually. They should include a facility map, identification and contacts for the nearest hospital or medical facility, and routes for emergency vehicles.

In addition to any medical emergencies, camps should also have plans in place for natural disasters, such as a fire or tornado, an active shooter or intruder, mental-health emergencies, and abuse accusations.

Lesson #2—Have Access To Proper Equipment

Hamlin’s life may well have been saved because of the fast reaction by the medical team and access to emergency tools. For example, both the AED and an ambulance were on-site and accessible. Camps should ask the following:

What emergency medical tools are on hand?
What is stocked in the infirmary or go bag?
Is there an accessible AED? If so, who has access to the equipment?

Being able to implement a coordinated medical response, where each person knows his or her role in mitigating the emergency, is imperative.

In the NFL, in addition to requiring access to proper emergency-medical equipment, there are regular, daily safety checks on sports equipment. Regularly checking a camp facility and its available equipment is a proactive approach to mitigating risk. Invariably, some things will need to be updated or replaced. Checking warranties and expiration dates is important.

Lesson #3—Provide General Health And Safety Training

The NFL reviews and practices its emergency-readiness plan an hour before each game. Camps often teach and practice their emergency-readiness plan during staff orientation and training before the season begins, but this is not enough. Camps should have simple, clear, and ongoing safety training and practice drills that go beyond required fire drills. Operators should regularly ask leadership staff what to do in case of specific emergencies. Practicing plans with regularity will enhance confidence in team members. Obtaining input and “buy in” is important.

The best safety training goes beyond reacting to an emergency, and includes general health education to create a safe environment. Training should include standards for maintaining the equipment and the facility prior to use. It should also include assigning roles:

Who provides medical care?
When and where is it provided?
Who initiates contacts outside of camp?

Lesson #4—Manage The Emotion

The mental and emotional aspects of managing, participating in, and being present during an emergency are often left off emergency-preparedness. Camps should consider three key components:

What can be done in advance of an emergency?
What can be done during an emergency?
What can be done after an emergency?

When reviewing plans with staff members, discuss how you expect them to react should an emergency occur. Remember that most camp counselors have never had to manage an emergency and, therefore, may not know how to react. Take the time to acknowledge that handling an emergency is difficult and can be scary, but you have provided them with tools in advance to handle the situation with care; this should help to build their confidence.

During an emergency, there are several people to consider beyond the person/people identified as being in crisis, such as the people handling the crisis, the people who may have been exposed to the situation, and the extended community that may be impacted. In the NFL game, the emotional state of Hamlin, the first responders, the players on both teams, the fans watching, the sports commentators reporting, and the extended families had to be considered.

An emergency does not end the moment the situation is resolved. Emotional consequences can last for hours, days, months, or years. The best emergency plans include ideas about the emotional baggage post-incident. Camps can also confer with their insurance companies and other agencies about emotional-support resources. Does your camp have an in-house or on-call mental-health provider? Additionally, in a case like Hamlin’s medical emergency, video replayed over and over on news media and social-media presents even more challenges in coping with trauma.

Lesson #5—Evaluate Protocol Improvement

After an emergency, take the opportunity to review plans, evaluate successes, and note what can be improved. Waiting for an event to occur is not prudent; evaluating scenarios is. For example, when Hamlin collapsed, nobody knew the extent of his injuries. The NFL stopped the game as they would for any injury. Once the extent of the medical emergency became known, the officials had to decide if and when the game would resume. Decisions made were necessarily reactive and emotionally influenced. While the outcome was medically satisfying, the NFL faced some criticism for for its decision to suspend the game. Camps must also evaluate all aspects of their plans, and ask the following questions:

Could this emergency happen at camp?
Is camp reasonably ready for such an emergency?
Are roles clearly defined and assigned for response?
Does the emergency plan include any consequences to spectators and others?
What are the camp’s policies on audio and video recordings?
Will camp be able to control the narrative?
How does the camp protect those involved?

Although there will be many questions, there is one common question—are you prepared?

Jamie Sirkin, LCSW, is the Director of Summer Trails Day Camp, a co-ed, traditional summer camp in Westchester County, NY. Jamie serves on the New York State Camp Safety Advisor Council and the Westchester County Board of Health, and serves as President of the New York State Camp Directors Association.

Taking Stock