Club Management: Is your club ready for an emergency?

[Phrogger]

As a former military officer, I have had experience building and implementing such plans. Every unit has its own Emergency Action Plan (EAP), which covers everything from natural disasters to medical emergencies. In addition, we follow OSHA guidelines with respect to safety and personal protective equipment (PPE) such as eye and hearing protection.

My recommendations for fencing clubs are as follows:

1. Appoint a "Safety Officer" to create and maintain their EAP.
2. Post a set of "Fencing Safety Rules" on the wall which includes the location of the first aid kit.
3. Buy a first aid kit if one is not provided by your facility.
3. Post a fire bill with a diagram of the emergency exits.

The EAP can be a simple 3-ring binder with a table of contents and tabs. Each tab should contain a "what if" scenario as appropriate to your club. In the back, include a list of phone numbers, both emergency and of club officers and members.

Now in most emergencies where time is critical, folks are not going to look at this binder, but it serves as a reference for procedures which all club members should be familiar with. I don't know much about the "covering your butt" legal aspect of it, but that should be secondary to keeping people safe.

[remise]

The "buy a first aid kid" would be simple....you'd think. But, apparently, some clubs don't want to incur the price and would rather "chance it".