The inquiries come after Friday night's Roanoke Rapids-Northampton game in which the Yellow Jackets' Dylan Allen sustained a head injury on a play and an ambulance was not at the game played in Creeksville.
Other schools in the area do have ambulances at games.
Dexter Harris, athletic director for Northampton County High School, said while an ambulance was not on the field, the school's plan for situations like this was attempted to be followed. “Our first responders were not allowed to give assistance and were treated fairly rudely when they went over to do their job. Our plan like most is on-field evaluation by our trainers and then react accordingly as far as calling 911.”
Having emergency medical service at the football is not mandated by the state. “We are working closely with our county commissioners to see if we can have a unit stand by at the game site,” Harris said.
Harris said it was unfortunate what happened to Allen, who was treated and released. “Football as we know is a very violent sport. I have gone by and looked at the game film and watched the play over and over again and it was a clean play. The collision was head to head but there was absolutely nothing dirty about the play. My trainers upon realizing the player was having difficulty went over to help and were basically pushed away in the most disrespectful way. It is not mandated by the state that we have EMS on site during contests. Friday night was extreme and we are trying to find out why it took the time it did.”
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association confirmed the organization does not have a policy that requires EMS at any games. “Remember, each county owns its EMS services; therefore, to mandate the presence, probably would put a financial burden on the schools,” said Que Tucker, the association's deputy commissioner. “Essentially it would be an unfunded mandate.”
The association does suggest an emergency action plan at each school that does recommend an ambulance on site for high risk events; a designated location for the vehicle and a clear route for exiting the venue.
If an ambulance is not on site the association recommends a clearly marked and accessible entrance to the venue; identifying a clear parking and loading point and coordinating with EMS ahead of time.
