Birmingham, Ala…The National Center for Sports Safety (NCSS) rallied with Alabama legislators, Representative Arthur Payne-Trussville and Senator Phil Poole-Moundville, to assist in passing Act Number 2006-605 raising the standard of safety for Alabama's youth.
Previously, state laws granted civil immunity to volunteers even though they did not have any educational requirements for these individuals on how to handle emergency situations. Thanks to the new provisions, volunteers will still be granted immunity; however they must first participate in a safety and training skills program including injury prevention, first aid procedures and general coaching concepts.
"In many cases volunteers respond to an incident without ever having the opportunity to learn proper techniques," states Dr. Larry Lemak, founder of the NCSS. "This can be a dangerous situation because if a volunteer responds incorrectly, they can further injure a young athlete," adds Lemak.
Alabama's new provisions take the state to a new level on safety. By adding educational requirements for volunteer coaches, Alabama will not only benefit from better educated volunteers, but also better educated citizens to help in emergencies situations both on and off the field.
The NCSS, with the help of nationally recognized medical and safety leaders, developed an online sports safety course to educate coaches about injury prevention and emergency response. The NCSS works with both local and national sports organizations to educate coaches on all levels of competition.
"It is our goal at the NCSS to raise the standard of care for all children participating in athletics throughout Alabama," adds Lemak. "Thanks to Representative Payne and Senator Poole, this new provision takes our state one step closer to reaching this goal."
To learn more about sports safety education and how to become better PREPARED, please contact the NCSS at 1-866-508-NCSS.
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