Emergency responders needed at high school events

Frontiersman editorial board

Early in the second half of the Houston vs. Kenai state semi-final football game this week, Andrew Kappler went down with an injury. Nobody saw what happened. The play was over, and Kappler appeared to be walking toward the sideline when he simply fell, face-first, to the turf. He did not move. The Houston staff responded quickly, but the young man did not appear to respond right away.

The staff was able to flip the player onto his back, but still he did not appear to move. Both teams knelt, and the crowd fell silent. After several minutes, the teams were sent back to the locker rooms to get out of the chilly weather, but Kappler remained on the field, surrounded by coaches and support staff. One coach placed his jacket over Kappler to keep him warm, and some kind people from the stands brought blankets.

The decision was made to call an ambulance, and the public address announcer finally asked people to clear the gate area and the end zone so the ambulance could enter the field area. Finally. It was nearly 20 minutes from the time Kappler went down before the ambulance arrived. Twenty minutes for him to lay on the field, and for his family and friends to fret before help arrived.

When the ambulance did arrive, the crew first stopped on the track. The staff shouted for them to back up onto the field, so they'd be close to the downed player. It was clearly not something that had been rehearsed -- or much thought about. They did back up to the player, and after some effort, the group was able to get Kappler strapped to a body board and lifted onto the gurney and into the ambulance. He was on his way to the hospital -- nearly 25 minutes after falling to the field.

Fortunately, Houston has the volunteer services of Carolyn Bouchard, who is a nationally-certified athletic trainer. All district coaches are also required to be certified in first aid and CPR.

In many school districts across the country, an ambulance is standing by in the end zone at every high school football game. When a serious injury occurs, it is a matter of minutes before the player receives professional attention and, if necessary, rushed to the hospital. It's true we don't have all the resources available here in the Valley that some big cities have, but we should be able to find a way to better ensure the safety and health of our young athletes.

Fortunately, Kappler is OK. Still, had it been a more serious injury, minutes can sometimes make all the difference. We hope the school district will consider ways to keep emergency staff and transportation on hand at high school sports. We hope we never have to deal with a serious injury, but if one does occur, we want the athlete to get the best, and fastest, care possible.