BUFFALO, N.Y. — As the world anxiously awaits and prays for the recovery of Damar Hamlin, the focus shifts from the big stage to the small one – as parents are now looking to the schools for answers regarding their student athletes’ safety.
“Cardiac arrest is a very significant concern that we all have,” said Mike House, Assistant Superintendent of Athletics, at Buffalo Public Schools.
A topic that — according to the state’s public high school athletic association — has already been top of mind, requiring all athletic coaches to be CPR, First Aid, and AED certified along with mandating AEDs be on-site at all events in case a situation like last night were to arise.
But here in Buffalo, BPS is taking it a step further — not just requiring that coaches meet requirements but players.
“It is required that every student-athlete has a current sports physical on file with the nurse prior to participating in athletics,” House said.
And also make sure that all AEDs no more than a minute away from any practice or playing field because in these situations, time is everything, as the survival rate decreases by 10% for every minute that passes.
“We just got to train and prepare everyone to handle emergencies so that when they do arise, we're calm,” House said. “And we respond with accuracy and support and really try to make the safest environment for our students.”
And it goes above sports governing bodies.
The state has implemented two key laws to protect student-athletes — the first in 2001 called the Louis Law requires all public schools to be equipped with AEDs and the second going into effect last July called the Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Prevention Act requires schools, students and parents to be provided information on sudden cardiac arrest risks, signs, and symptoms.
“When you go to get your hair cut, there's a little barber certificate in the window that they're a trained barber. And so when we take our kids and go out to these youth sporting fields, we want to have trained and certified coaches,” said Andrew Ryland, Senior Manager of Education and Training, at USA Football.
And while it’s unclear if any changes will come nationwide, statewide, or even locally at this time, experts say Hamlin’s collapse sparked conversations that needed to be had and could impact the future of sports protocols going forward.
“I think we saw the power of educated trained people with very clear roles executing at the moment last night. And to me, that's the lesson that can be learned and applied by whether it's a Youth League, whether it's a high school, whether it's a big-time college program,” Ryland said.