Beyond the AED: Other Lifesaving Supplies Every Sports Venue Should Have On Hand

Being Ready for More Than One Kind of Emergency

Cardiac arrest isn’t the only life-threatening emergency that can happen on a field, in a gym, or at a school event. Severe bleeding, allergic reactions, or drug overdoses can occur without warning — and fast, prepared responses can mean the difference between life and death.

Just like an AED, these other emergency supplies are simple to use, effective, and widely available. Keeping them stored together in one visible, accessible location helps ensure no one wastes time searching for what they need when seconds matter.

1. “Stop the Bleed” Kits: Controlling Severe Bleeding

Uncontrolled bleeding can be fatal in minutes — sometimes even faster than cardiac arrest. That’s why Stop the Bleed kits are now recommended in public venues, schools, and athletic facilities.

These kits typically include:

• Tourniquets for limb bleeding

• Hemostatic dressings or gauze that help blood clot

• Compression bandages and gloves

• Simple instructions for bystanders

Training courses are short and straightforward, and many are offered free by local hospitals or EMS agencies. Even basic knowledge — how to apply firm pressure, pack a wound, or use a tourniquet — can save a life before paramedics arrive.

2. Epinephrine Auto-Injectors or Nasal Sprays: Treating Severe Allergic Reactions

Anaphylaxis can strike suddenly from food, insect stings, or environmental exposure. Having epinephrine on site is a game-changer.

Epinephrine auto-injectors (like EpiPen, Auvi-Q, or generic epinephrine) and nasal spray formulations are designed for quick, no-mistake use — even by non-medical personnel. Clear instructions, automatic needle retraction, and audible voice prompts make administration simple and fast.

Some schools and sports organizations keep “stock epinephrine” — not prescribed to one person, but available for any emergency. Legislation in many states now supports or even mandates this practice.

3. Opioid Reversal Agents: Naloxone (Narcan) Nasal Spray or Injection

While we hope never to need it, opioid overdoses are an unfortunate reality in communities everywhere — including sports and fitness settings. Whether it’s an athlete’s post-surgical prescription or a bystander at a public event, naloxone (Narcan) can rapidly reverse a potentially fatal overdose.

Nasal spray formulations are simple: no needles, no mixing, no hesitation. One spray into the nostril can restore breathing within minutes. It’s safe even if the cause of unconsciousness isn’t an opioid, so there’s no harm in using it if in doubt.

Having naloxone accessible alongside your AED ensures responders are prepared for a wider range of emergencies.

4. Basic First Aid Supplies: Don’t Overlook the Essentials

Alongside these specialized lifesaving tools, every venue should also maintain:

• Gloves and barrier masks

• Cold packs and dressings

• CPR mask or face shield

• Emergency contact sheet with facility address and AED location

• Flashlight and spare batteries

Keeping these with your AED creates a single, reliable “Emergency Response Station.”

Training: The Key to Effective Response

Having supplies is important — knowing how to use them is even more critical. Regular training sessions for coaches, athletic trainers, and staff build confidence and reduce hesitation.
Simple reminders like:

• “Call 911 first”

• “Start chest compressions”

• “Use what you have — any help is better than none”
  help reinforce that early action saves lives.

Bottom Line

A well-stocked emergency station is about preparedness, not panic. Alongside your AED, make sure your sports venue includes:

• A Stop the Bleed kit

• Epinephrine for allergic reactions

• Naloxone for opioid emergencies

• Basic first aid supplies

Together, these tools empower coaches, parents, and bystanders to act quickly and effectively when every second counts.

How a Sports Safety Audit Can Reduce Liability and Lower Insurance Costs

How a Sports Safety Audit Can Reduce Liability and Lower Insurance Costs

Every athletic director, coach, and administrator shares the same priority: keeping athletes safe. But beyond protecting players, having a strong safety program can also protect your organization — legally and financially.

That’s where a sports safety audit comes in.

A safety audit is a structured review of your facilities, equipment, emergency plans, and training programs to make sure they meet current standards. It’s not just a box to check — it’s one of the smartest investments a school, league, or organization can make.

1. Spot Hazards Before They Cause Harm

Regular audits identify risks that might otherwise go unnoticed — things like unsecured goalposts, worn turf, missing AED batteries, or outdated emergency signage.
Fixing these early prevents injuries and protects your organization from potential lawsuits or claims.

2. Show Your Due Diligence

If an incident does occur, having a documented audit trail shows that your organization took safety seriously and followed best practices.
That record of action can make a huge difference in the outcome of a legal claim or insurance investigation.

3. Minimize Negligence Claims

Audits ensure your program aligns with recognized standards from groups like the NFHS, NATA, or AAP.
By demonstrating compliance and consistent monitoring, you significantly reduce your exposure to “failure to act” negligence cases.

4. Lower Insurance Premiums

Many insurers offer discounts or favorable terms to organizations that perform regular safety audits.
Demonstrating proactive risk management improves your insurability, reduces claim frequency, and can directly translate to lower premiums.

5. Strengthen Staff Preparedness

Safety audits often include reviewing whether coaches and staff are trained in key emergency procedures — like CPR/AED use, concussion response, or heat illness prevention.
Well-prepared staff are less likely to make mistakes under pressure, which both saves lives and limits liability.

6. Ensure Facility Compliance

From bleachers to locker rooms, fields to gym floors, facilities change with time and use.
An audit ensures that every space meets safety standards — before small maintenance issues turn into costly incidents.

The Bottom Line

A sports safety audit isn’t just about avoiding accidents — it’s about building a culture of safety and accountability.
It reduces liability, improves readiness, and often pays for itself through insurance savings and avoided claims.

Protect your athletes. Protect your program.
Invest in a safety audit — and give everyone the confidence that you’re prepared for anything.

Q-Collar: Hope, Hype, and Hard Lessons in Sports Safety

In recent years, the Q-Collar has been marketed as a breakthrough in concussion prevention—an FDA-cleared device that applies gentle pressure to the jugular veins, aiming to slightly increase intracranial blood volume and, in theory, “cushion” the brain against impact. The concept, inspired by how woodpeckers avoid brain injury, has captured the imagination of athletes, parents, and sports programs eager for any tool that might reduce the risk of head trauma.

But according to a new investigation published in The BMJ on October 17, 2025, that hope may be misplaced.

Editor-in-chief Kamran Abbasi describes the story of the Q-Collar as one of “ambition and hope”—but ultimately, “false hope.” The article exposes data irregularities in the studies used to support the device’s FDA clearance, and raises deeper concerns about whether the underlying science ever held up to scrutiny. Despite the lack of clear, reproducible evidence that the device prevents concussion or long-term brain injury, the Q-Collar has found its way onto NFL sidelines, high school fields, and youth sports programs nationwide.

Abbasi writes, “Every intervention is a vector of harm—trivial, minor, major, or yet to be determined.” When the benefits are more theoretical than real, regulators and clinicians alike have a duty of care to protect athletes from being misled.

A Case Study in Regulatory Oversight

The BMJ investigation argues that the FDA failed in its duty of care by approving a device with uncertain mechanisms and questionable data. The concern isn’t just about this single product—it’s about the broader system that allows well-intentioned but poorly supported devices to reach the public under the guise of safety.

For those of us working in sports medicine, this case serves as an important reminder:

Innovation should never outpace evidence.

What Athletes, Coaches, and Parents Should Know

• There is no device currently proven to prevent concussion. Helmets and protective gear can reduce skull fractures and lacerations, but they cannot prevent the brain from moving within the skull.

• The Q-Collar is not without risk. Applying external pressure to jugular veins can theoretically alter blood flow and intracranial pressure—effects that deserve careful, independent study.

• Evidence-based prevention still works best. Proper tackling technique, rule enforcement, neck strengthening, recognition of early symptoms, and immediate removal from play remain the gold standards.

• Skepticism is healthy. When a product claims to “protect the brain,” it should be backed by peer-reviewed, reproducible data—not marketing hype.

Final Thoughts

As clinicians, researchers, and advocates for athlete safety, we must demand higher standards of evidence before endorsing products that promise protection but may deliver false reassurance. The BMJ’s investigation into the Q-Collar should prompt us to re-examine not only this specific device, but also the regulatory processes that allowed it onto the market.

Athletes deserve better than untested promises—they deserve protection that’s proven.

Lessons from the Texas High School Rhabdomyolysis Lawsuit: When Discipline Crosses the Line

The Case at a Glance

In early 2023, several players from Rockwall-Heath High School in Texas were hospitalized after being forced to perform 300–400 push-ups without rest or hydration during an offseason conditioning session. One student developed rhabdomyolysis, a potentially life-threatening breakdown of muscle tissue that can lead to kidney failure.

The head football coach and two assistants were later suspended, and in late 2024, a lawsuit was filed by the player’s mother, alleging negligence, gross negligence, and infliction of emotional distress. The claim asserts that the coaching staff failed to provide adequate supervision, hydration, and medical oversight, and that the workout constituted punishment rather than training.

The Merits of the Case

From a legal perspective, this case hinges on whether the coaches and school district breached their duty of care to student-athletes. That duty includes:

• Designing safe and age-appropriate workouts,

• Providing rest and hydration opportunities,

• Ensuring medical oversight (via an athletic trainer or emergency plan), and

• Recognizing and responding appropriately to signs of distress or overexertion.

While coaches have broad discretion in conditioning programs, that discretion does not extend to reckless disregard for player safety. If the allegations are accurate — that hundreds of push-ups were mandated without breaks or water, leading to hospitalization — the case for negligence is compelling.

Key Learning Points

1. “Toughness” is not a substitute for safety.
   Conditioning should improve resilience and fitness, not test pain tolerance. Workouts that risk harm under the guise of discipline are medically indefensible.

2. Medical staff must have a voice.
   Athletic trainers should be empowered to stop unsafe sessions — without fear of reprisal. In settings without a trainer present, there must be a designated safety officer or coach trained in emergency response.

3. Hydration and environmental monitoring are non-negotiable.
   Even indoors or in mild temperatures, dehydration and exertional illness can occur rapidly with excessive workload. Regular hydration breaks and workload limits are essential.

4. Documentation matters.
   Schools should maintain written records of workout design, attendance, and any medical events. These documents can demonstrate adherence to standard of care — or, conversely, their absence can imply negligence.

5. Education prevents escalation.
   Coaches, athletes, and parents should all receive annual education about exertional illness, including rhabdomyolysis and heat-related emergencies.

Sports Medicine & Youth Sport Guidance Against Punitive Exercise

Importantly, major sports medicine organizations and youth-sport guidance documents explicitly warn against using physical exercise as punishment.

The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) states that:

“Exercise and conditioning should not be used as punishment.”
(AMSSM Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport)

Similarly, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) position statement notes:

“Administering or withholding physical activity as a form of punishment and/or behavior management is an inappropriate practice.”
The statement further calls such actions “unsound … from a legal liability standpoint.”
(SHAPE America – Physical Activity Used as Punishment)

Additionally, the Move United / TrueSport initiative emphasizes that using exercise as a disciplinary tool “is considered corporal punishment and thereby illegal in more than half of U.S. states.”
(Move United: Alternatives to Exercise as Punishment)

A peer-reviewed article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine further underscores the physiological risk:

“Exercise as punishment invariably abandons sound physiological principles and elevates risk above any reasonable performance reward.”
(BJSM, 2020)

In light of that guidance, the conditioning session in the Texas high school case — which reportedly required hundreds of push-ups without rest, hydration, or medical oversight — appears not merely harsh, but inconsistent with accepted sports medicine norms.

Proactive Steps for Schools and Athletic Organizations

• Review and standardize conditioning protocols: Establish safe workload limits, built-in recovery, and hydration plans.

• Integrate sports medicine oversight: Require athletic trainer or physician review of conditioning programs for safety.

• Empower whistleblowers: Create confidential reporting channels for athletes or staff who feel a session is unsafe.

• Conduct an annual “Safety Audit”: Review emergency action plans (EAPs), documentation procedures, and staff training.

• Simulate real-world emergencies: Practice EAP drills for exertional illness, heat stroke, and cardiac arrest — the same way fire drills are conducted.

Closing Thoughts

This Texas case isn’t about a single bad workout — it’s about the culture of coaching and the systems that protect athletes. Courts increasingly view “foreseeable” injuries as preventable when clear safety standards exist. By embedding sports medicine best practices into training programs, schools can protect not only their athletes but also their reputations and legal standing.

Seconds Save Lives: Why Visible, Maintained, and Accessible AEDs Are Critical for Every Sports Venue

Seconds Matter When Lives Are on the Line

When a player, coach, or spectator collapses suddenly at a sporting event, every second counts. Most sudden cardiac arrests occur without warning, and survival rates drop by about 10% for every minute without defibrillation. That means if an automated external defibrillator (AED) isn’t close at hand and ready to use, precious time — and lives — are lost.

The Life-Saving Role of the AED

An AED is a portable device that analyzes heart rhythm and delivers an electric shock if needed to restore a normal heartbeat. Modern AEDs are designed for anyone to use — they literally talk you through the steps with clear voice and visual prompts. Once you open the lid, the device takes over the guidance, making it possible for bystanders, coaches, or parents to act before EMS arrives.

Even with no prior medical training, AEDs are built to be fail-safe — they won’t deliver a shock unless it’s needed. Combined with early CPR, they can double or even triple the chances of survival from sudden cardiac arrest.

Placement and Accessibility: Every Minute Counts

AEDs should be visible, labeled, and reachable within three minutes from anywhere in a sports facility — that’s the standard recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) and most state athletic associations.
They should be:

• Clearly marked and mounted in public areas, not locked away.

• Included on emergency maps and signage.

• Portable, when necessary, so they can be brought quickly to fields or courts.

• Tested and checked regularly, with battery and pad expiration dates tracked.

Too often, AEDs are hidden behind office doors, stored in locked cabinets, or forgotten until an emergency arises. Visibility saves lives.

Maintenance: A Working AED Is a Ready AED

AEDs require basic but consistent upkeep. Batteries and electrode pads have shelf lives and must be replaced every few years or after use. Many facilities assign staff — athletic trainers, coaches, or administrators — to conduct monthly checks and document them in a maintenance log.

Many modern AEDs perform self-checks, flashing a green light if ready or red if service is needed. Still, human oversight is critical. An AED that’s not charged, has expired pads, or isn’t where it’s supposed to be is effectively useless when seconds matter most.

Training: The Human Link in the Chain of Survival

While AEDs are easy to use, training builds confidence. Every sports organization should ensure that coaches, staff, and athletes know where the AEDs are and how to operate them. Regular drills reinforce muscle memory so that, in a real emergency, no one wastes time looking for instructions or hesitating to act.

Don’t Forget the Most Important Step: CPR and Early 911 Activation

As vital as AEDs are, the first and most important response is activating 911 and starting CPR with chest compressions. The person who calls for help, begins compressions, and keeps blood flowing until the AED arrives is often the real hero.

The chain of survival is simple but powerful:

1. Recognize cardiac arrest and call 911.

2. Start chest compressions immediately.

3. Use the AED as soon as it’s available.

4. Continue CPR until help arrives.

Together, these steps can raise survival rates from single digits to over 70% in some organized sports settings where AEDs and trained responders are ready.

Bottom Line

AEDs save lives — but only when they’re visible, functional, and used quickly. Every sports venue should have an AED within three minutes, a maintenance plan, and people trained in CPR and AED use. The combination of early 911 activation, prompt CPR, and immediate AED access is the most effective way to turn a tragedy into a life saved.