Skip to content

Cambridge Minor Football leading the way in player safety

An automated external defibrillator saved the life of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin when he collapsed during a game on Jan. 2. It's a situation Cambridge Minor Football hopes to never see, but will be well prepared for if they do

When safety Damar Hamlin collapsed to the turf in the Buffalo Bills game in Cincinnati against the Bengals on Jan. 2, it hit close to home for many, including those within the Cambridge Minor Football Association.

There are still no definitive answers to exactly what happened, but it appeared to be a seemingly innocent hit that threw Hamlin into cardiac arrest. 

What is known is Hamlin needed immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Luckily, Hamlin is awake, communicating and seems to be on the slow road to recovery.

But it’s now renewed the conversation around player safety at the grassroots level, something Cambridge Minor Football president Chad Carreira is proud to say his organization is ahead of the game in.

“We have a certified athletic therapist at every practice and every game across all the age groups, from U10 to U18,” Carreira said.

“We have an AED at the field at all times. We've had it there for years.”

Luckily, Carreira has never seen the AED in use but it’s a critical piece of equipment in the athletic training toolkit. It’s unlikely the Bills and Bengals training staff thought they’d have to use it on a 24-year-old professional athlete, but it helped save a life.

Carriera takes solace in the fact that if the same incident were to happen on the Cambridge gridiron, his teams would be prepared.

“We would have taken all the necessary steps and had the necessary equipment to deal with a situation like that,” he said.

It’s mandated by the Ontario Summer Football League and the Ontario Fall Football League, the governing bodies in which Cambridge plays under, that an athletic therapist be at every game.

“We’re mandated for every game but not for practice,” Carreira said. 

“We have one at every practice, as well. Typically for road games the home team supplies the athletic therapist, but with the older kids, we bring our own due to the increased roster size.”

Equipment is also supplied by the team and helmets are re-certified every other year as required.

The organization runs safe contact sessions every season, teaching players how to properly hit and take a hit. It’s an aspect of the game that is reiterated over and over by the coaching staffs until the time a player graduates.

On a regional level, the Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services has placed 436 AED’s in public facilities, schools and workplaces as part of their Public Access Defibrillation Program.

In addition, the program provides CPR training to each registered site, as well as maintenance and replacement of batteries and defibrillator pads as necessary.

Temporarily renting an AED is also an available option for events and facility rentals that aren’t equipped with one. 

One of the scariest aspects of the Jan. 2 incident was how freak and unexpected it was. That’s why it’s critical to be as prepared as possible regardless of the likelihood of an emergency occuring, Carreira says.

“Our organization is all volunteer run and we do it for the kids,” he said.

“The kids safety is our number one priority.”

For more information on the Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services' Public Access Defibrillation Program visit regionofwaterloo.ca