INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF

AMERICAN FOOTBALL
EMERGENCY ACTION PLANNING
Emergency Action Plans
An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is a written set of procedures that details the appropriate
response to different types of emergencies you, your coaches and your administrators may
encounter throughout the football season. Although no team wants to experience an
emergency, it is better to be prepared in case situations do arise. These situations include, but
are not limited to, events such as a medical emergency and severe weather.

Your EAP is an integral part of your organisation’s efforts to mitigate risk and the primary
purposes of an EAP are to:

• Create a standardised response to an emergency, threat, or hazard.

• Clearly define the roles of internal responders (i.e., the members of a coaching staff)
before, during and after an emergency.
• Establish the communication procedure between internal responders and from
internal responders to external responders (i.e., EMTs, police, etc.).

You might think all your coaches and administrators will just know how to manage an
emergency situation, but that may not be the case. A comprehensive and well-communicated
EAP is important because it:

• Can help prevent injuries.

• Prepares coaches and staff for emergency situations, which contributes to an
effective emergency response.
• Ensures appropriate care is provided in a timely manner.
• Reduces your likelihood of facing legal action arising from inappropriate handling of
an emergency.

Your EAP needs to be specific to your operations and facilities used. If your organisation is
utilising multiple venues, your EAP should account for this and address each one. Specifically,
in the event of a medical emergency, as non-medical professionals, the role of your
administrators, coaches, and athletes is to respond to the immediate situation and not to
attempt to diagnose and treat a medical condition. With this in mind, each EAP should include,
at a minimum, the following:

• Emergency Personnel. Describe the emergency team involved and the roles of each
person when the EAP is activated.
• Emergency Communication. What communication devices are available, where they
are located, what number to call in an emergency, specific information and directions
to the venue to provide to EMS response team.
• Emergency Equipment. Location of equipment should be quickly accessible and
clearly listed. Equipment needs to be maintained on a regular basis.
• Medical Emergency Transportation. Describe options and estimated response times
for emergency transportation.
• Venue Directions with a Map. This should be specific to the venue and provide
instructions for easy access to the venue. This should also include containment
procedures should containment become necessary.
 • Roles of First Responders. Establish scene safety and immediate care of the athlete,
activation of EMS, equipment retrieval and direction of EMS to the scene.
• Emergency Action Plan for Non-Medical Emergencies. These emergencies can refer to
the school or organisation EAP if one is in place.
• Weather Contingencies. Make sure your coaches and administrators know how to
prepare for a weather emergency, where to go in a weather emergency and when they
can return to the field upon its conclusion.

These components of an EAP come from the Korey Stringer Institute who have additional
information and resources on this topic available for your consideration.

Note: Your EAP may include additional items either based on your location and/or the
activities in which you engage and nuances you experience. The list above focuses on items
commonly included in EAPs and does not attempt to set out all possible items you should
include in your EAP.

If you utilise an athletic trainer to support your league’s activities, they also may be able to
help you in the development and review of your plan.

Having an EAP is an important first step. Once you have your plan in place you should:

• Distribute it. Make sure that it is provided to all administrators, coaches, and anyone
else with a need for the included information. If possible, post it publicly so all can
review.
• Practice it. Practice your organisation’s response to various emergencies at least once
a year. This can be as simple as a table-top exercise where the individuals involved in
responding are provided a scenario and asked to talk through how they will respond to
the situation.
• Review it. Review each of your EAPs at least once a year to make any necessary
updates.

Note: Certain parts of your EAP may be beyond your control and will be dictated to you by
third parties. For example, if you use your local school or public athletic facility for gamedays,
the facility’s inclement weather policy may dictate the standard to which you must comply.
Make sure to confirm those aspects of your EAP with any involved third parties prior to
communicating your EAP to minimise confusion amongst those tasked with executing your
plan. You may also have contractual obligations based on any agreements you enter for use
of facilities.

If your organisation hosts visiting teams, specific information regarding your EAP should be
shared with visiting teams either by email or in person as a summary document in advance of
each activity.

Additionally, if your organisation experiences turnover during the season, it is important for
you to make sure any replacement administrators or coaches are provided the applicable EAP
and educated on its contents and their role in activating the EAP in the covered scenarios
should it become necessary.

We understand that each league will have certain unique operational concerns that need to be
addressed within its EAP. As you encounter these unique situations, you should always do
your best to conform with the recommended best practices and standards for similar
organisations and if you determine that to not be possible, you should seek creative ways to
get as close to that standard as possible.

Updated 2021