TULSA, Okla. — When Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during Monday Night Football, NFL fans across the country held their breath. Viewers hoped for the best as athletic trainers and first responders jumped into action.
Union High School Head Athletic Trainer Dan Newman said a sense of urgency can save lives at any level of the sport, including high school.
Newman said, “The quicker you can recognize a situation, and start care for that situation, there’s a better chance of survival.”
All of Union’s athletic trainers are certified in CPR and Basic Life Support (BLS). CPR classes teach people how to do chest compressions and breathing.
Newman said BLS is a step above CPR.
It requires learning how use a equipment like bi-valve bags, external oxygen, and an Automated External Defibrillator, or AED, to restart someone’s heart during cardiac arrest.
Newman said, “We’re educated in how to handle emergency events, whether it’s a sudden cardiac arrest, a severe head or neck injury, exertion or heat stroke.”
In addition to Union, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Owasso, and Tulsa Public Schools, require all of their athletic trainers are bls certified. Also, every high school student in Oklahoma is required to learn CPR in order to graduate.
Newman said, “The more prepared you are, the better the outcomes will be.”
The Buffalo Bills say Hamlin is showing positive signs, proving that acting fast makes all the difference in the world.
If you’d like to learn how to save lives, organizations like the American Heart Association and the Red Cross offer classes.
Go to cpr.heart.org or redcross.org for more information.
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