Ambulances should be at all high school football games

OUR OPINION

When Newport High School senior Chase Warren the went down with a broken leg Saturday in the game against Colfax, there was no ambulance on site.

It took probably 30 minutes before an ambulance got there. Incredibly, there is no Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rule that an ambulance be on site for high school football games.

It is up to each school to decide, according to Andy Barnes, the WIAA assistant executive director.

“It is up to individual schools and what their risk managers and local (Emergency Action Plan) may require,” Barnes said.

In a game played at Deer Park, but not involving a Deer Park team, what EAP applies? Newport’s? Colfax’s? Deer Park’s?

In a sport as dangerous as football, it is a real miss for there not to be a WIAA rule requiring an ambulance. It is equally a miss for Deer Park to not have an ambulance on site, since they were the host.

They don’t happen that often, but more than any other high school sport, there are sometimes catastrophic injuries in football. About 14 years ago, Priest River’s Bobby Clark suffered a traumatic brain injury in a game and almost died.

Student safety is supposed to be a top priority for schools. The WIAA needs to have a rule requiring ambulances at games.