Catastrophic Incident Guidelines
I. INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITION OF CATASTROPHIC INCIDENT
The Smith College Athletic Department’s Catastrophic Incident Guideline will be activated when the following catastrophic incidents (CI) occur:
1. Sudden Death of a Student-Athlete, Coach, or Staff Member
- Death during competition, practice, or conditioning
- Death during travel
- Smith College Athletic Dept. official business
- Personal (e.g. automobile, airline accidents)
- Non-athletic accidents
- Unknown medical anomalies (e.g. heart attack, stroke, illness)
- Victim of a crime (e.g. homicide)
- Suicide
2. Disability / Quality of Life Altering Injuries
- Either during Smith College Athletic Department participation and/or travel, or during non-athletic activities
- Spinal Cord Injury-resulting in partial or complete paralysis
- Loss of Paired Organ
- Severe Head Injury
- Injuries resulting in severely diminished mental capacity or other neurological injury that results in inability to perform daily functions (e.g. coma)
- Irrecoverable loss of speech or hearing (both ears) or sight (both eyes) or both arms or both legs or one arm and one leg
II. IMMEDIATE ACTION PLAN
- General Guidelines
- Get all pertinent facts regarding the incident accurately and expeditiously.
- Accurately document all events, especially list all participants and witnesses
- Secure any or all available materials/equipment involved
- Respect the dignity of the individuals involved
- Only members of College Relations staff, or individuals they designate, are to speak on the incident to family members, media, other staff members, student-athletes or coaches-No one else has clearance to speak on the incident
- Instruct student-athletes they are not to speak to anyone regarding the incident
- All information deemed appropriate for release to the media will be determined by Smith College Senior Administration
- Home Contest, Practice, Training Session
- AT Notifies Public Safety of Catastrophic Event
- Dispatcher notifies Public Safety Supervisor
- Public Safety Supervisor initiates necessary communication with appropriate college administrators (see Chain of Command and Areas of Action below)
- AT provides care
- Coach/Administrator/Dept Personnel move participants away from scene
- EMS arrives to transport injured person(s)
- Coach or Dept Representative travels with injured person to hospital
- Remain at hospital until relieved by assigned college personnel
- Gather any available information
- Notification of family members is the sole responsibility of the hospital staff. If a coach is in contact with a parent or family member, only general information should be given.
- Provide updates to admin staff on campus
- Away Contest, Off-Campus Practice or Training Session
- If no medical staff is available, coach will activate EMS and provide first aid
- If medical staff is available, coaches should follow emergency protocol of host school and assist as directed
- Coach notifies Public Safety of Catastrophic Incident
- Request that supervisor be notified of incident immediately
- Leave personal and hospital contact information with dispatcher
- Public Safety Supervisor initiates necessary communication with appropriate college administrators (see Chain of Command and Areas of Action below)
- Coach or Asst Coach travels with injured person to hospital
- Remain at hospital until relieved by assigned college personnel
- Gather any available information
- Notification of family members is the sole responsibility of the hospital staff. If a coach is in contact with a parent or family member, information given should be general.
- Provide updates to admin staff on campus
- Determine if assistance is needed to get remaining travel party back to campus
- Assist Admin Staff to determine exact travel party
- Dispatcher is informed of catastrophic event by head coach or AT who request that a supervisor is contacted immediately
- Dispatcher is to inform supervisor (Scott Graham, Nancy Forestall, Paul Ominsky)
- Supervisor informs Senior Staff, Lynn Oberbillig
- If Lynn O. cannot be reached, contact
- Bonnie May
- Kim Bierwert
- Meeting place is set for immediate gathering of above mentioned parties
- Notifies Administrative Staff of catastrophic incident and sets meeting place (classroom/Faculty Staff Lounge) for immediate gathering
- Attends meeting of Senior Staff and provides direction for Admin Staff and coaches
- Determine needs and plan of action
- Work with Office of College Relations, Residential Life, Counseling Services, Religious Life, other available resources
- Admin Staff will contact coaches, all meet at designated place
- Await direction from Lynn Oberbillig or Dept Representative at Senior Staff Meeting
- Station 1-2 people to handle incoming phone calls (determine “script”)
- Ex. At this time we can/cannot confirm that _____ has occurred. We are attempting to gather information…)
- Determine travel parties if incident occurred on team trip
- Determine need for and plan for return travel of remaining team members (vans, cars)
- Determine if host school staff may be available to assist
- Determine if/when staff member should travel to hospital to relieve coach/asst. coach, await family members
- Determine immediate needs of teammates, friends that may have gathered in athletics facilities
- Determine needs, assist family members (travel, housing, meals, support)
- A detailed written summary chronicle will be prepared following any catastrophic incident which identifies and explains the activities of those who participated in and responded to the incident
- This chronicle will be used to critique the process, its efficiency and effectiveness, and will be used as the basis for review of procedures
III. CHAIN OF COMMAND AND AREAS OF ACTION:
After being informed of a catastrophic incident, the following individuals
will be notified to commence their responsibilities:
SMITH COLLEGE PUBLIC SAFETY
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS or Department Representative
SENIOR STAFF/DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF/COACHES
IV. SUMMARY CHRONICLE
