April 07, 2011
James Mellein and Bill Callender
Rec Sports, Oregon State University
The Decision
This story is not about statistics, surveys, research or the latest protocol on lifesaving techniques. This is about how one decision can touch many lives.
A well known patron of many years (we’ll call him Pete), exercised regularly in our facility. Many staff knew him by name and looked forward to seeing him each day. On March 14, 2006 at approximately 2:00pm, Pete suddenly collapsed while exercising on a cardiovascular machine. The ventricular fibrillation during Pete’s cardiac arrest laid him unconscious and unresponsive.
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April 07, 2011
Ryan Lahne
Assistant Director, Facilities and Operations
Washington State University
Editors Note: Not all new ideas are necessarily better ideas. Some student training strategies are timeless — they’ve worked in the past, and they’ll work in the future. The following article describes some ‘tried and tested’ training strategies that have withstood the test of time, and continue to be highly effective training tools.
Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes in the recreation world. For injuries as minor as a cut to cardiac arrest, most college recreation facilities rely on 18-22 year old student staff members as the primary responders for most situations. In addition to handling injuries and medical emergencies, student staff are frequently relied upon to evacuate facilities during fires, determining if a softball game should be called due to lightning, or just dealing with uncertainty that goes with a power outage. Regardless of the type of emergency, training and practice are the most important keys to make sure these young staff members are prepared for all situations. The following describes three simple, inexpensive and proven techniques to better train and prepare staff.
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April 05, 2011
George Brown
Director of University Recreation
University of Alabama
As Hurricane Katrina wrought damage previously unseen from a natural disaster on U.S. soil, the ensuing shelter relief efforts that local agencies and organizations put into place were evidence of the comprehensive attempts to assist those most dramatically affected by the devastation. Working in continuous concert with The University of Alabama (UA) Emergency response team and the guidance and assistance of the American Red Cross, the Student Recreation Center (SRC) served as a shelter for over 500 victims of the August/September 2005 hurricane for a period of almost 2 weeks. Key administrators and staff of UA and the American Red Cross were in early planning within 24-48 hours before the worst of the Hurricane hit the Louisiana and Mississippi gulf coasts. The SRC transformed into a medical, childcare, job placement, communication, food and housing hub within 48 hours of the worst damage from the breaking of the levees in New Orleans.
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