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Area sporting venues prepared for heat, other health concerns
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Fire Technician Denny Chatel watches fans as they make their way through the main concourse. Prince George’s County firefighters and paramedics were hard at work treating injuries and heat-related problems at Saturday’s scrimmage between the Redskins and Ravens at FedEx Field in Landover.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Temperatures above 100 degrees haven’t stopped some area sports fans from heading to the stadium to support their team.
Summer heat can, however, increase risks for fans of all ages, underlining the importance of emergency medical services at high-capacity professional sporting venues.
Prince George’s County firefighters and paramedics were treated injuries and heat-related problems at Saturday’s scrimmage game between the Redskins and Ravens at Landover’s FedEx Field.
“This is much busier than regular-season games,” said Prince George’s County Fire Technician Ralph Welch, after taking a woman who hit her head to one of the stadium’s first aid stations. Welch attributed the extra injuries and exhaustion to a combination of heat and being unprepared for the amount of physical activity it takes to go to the stadium.
The Redskins are staffed with six ambulances and “a variety of EMTs and paramedic personnel,” according to Major Chauncey Bowers of the Prince George’s County Fire Department, which staffs the stadium’s events.
“We transport between four to five people a game to a hospital,” Bowers said. “It ranges the gamut from minor things to people in critical condition.”
“Even just getting to the stadium requires a lot of physical activity,” said Alan Etter, public information officer for D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services. “You’re having to walk quite a distance. People who are elderly, who are not healthy in the first place — in some cases that could be stressful for their system.”
The recent heat did not dissuade Arnold Rosenthal, 61, from attending Nationals games.
“We’ve been waiting 33 years or however long for a team,” he said, “so we’ve got season tickets and when it’s my turn to come, I come.”
Temperatures will fall eventually, but alcohol is a problem year-round. “That’s the biggest problem, frankly,” Etter said, “because people get drunk and they fall down.”
In addition to six EMTs, three paramedic supervisors are on hand at Nationals games to provide advanced life support if necessary. The three ambulances that D.C. Fire and Medical provides at RFK, which holds 56,000 people, average less than one transport per game, Etter said. Event staff are more likely to see scrapes, sprains and heat-related illnesses.
EMTs are not fully trained doctors or nurses, but they can provide basic services and are critical to transporting patients to more advanced medical care, said Keith Robertory, preparedness expert at the Red Cross.
At the Verizon Center, home to the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics, two EMTs, two nurses and a doctor work each game. Sheila Francis, director of public relations, said there have been a handful of heart-related incidents among the 21 million visitors since the arena opened its doors in December 1997.
The 20,000-capacity venue conducts an emergency evacuation training session each year in cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Department, fire and rescue, and other organizations.
To keep a trip to the game from becoming a trip to the hospital, Etter advises fans to use common sense.
“You just need to be aware of your surroundings and take care of yourself,” Etter said. “Don’t overdo it.”
— Andrew Harnik contributed to this story.
