GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Many high school and college athletes are already gearing up to return to their seasons in the coming weeks.
There was a big push by first responders in West Michigan to make sure they're ready in case an emergency happens— so sports medicine teams gathered to polish their skills ahead of the school year.
Dozens of athletic trainers, along with Life EMS, Corewell Health and the University of Michigan Health-West, practiced protocols Thursday in Grand Rapids.
Dozens of athletic trainers and Life EMS, Corewell Health, and University of Michigan Health were in Grand Rapids to practice protocols.
They also worked on providing CPR, signs of heat exhaustion and spine injuries. Forest Hills Athletic Trainer Hunter Steigman is one of the many athletic trainers working to stay sharp ahead of the fall sports season.
Athletic trainers are often the first to deal with a student-athlete injury. Steigman says Thursday's training with ambulance crews will help provide a smooth transition from one team to the next.
“This is serious. This is something that can actually happen to somebody, and if and when it does, again, we want to be prepared for that,” Steigman said.
“We do a lot of standbys for the local high schools and our colleges as well. So putting those faces together, building that relationship, and as what we like to call it a healthcare team atmosphere so that we never skip a beat,” Life EMS Director of Education Tim Newton said.
Newton adds that while critical injuries are rare, they do happen. He also says most of the spine injuries they see are on the football field.
