Youth Armoured Combat Draft:Injury Procedures

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On the field

1. If there is a suspected injury on the field, anyone can call a hold to stop all fighting in the area and determine the proper course of action.
2. A marshal should call for assistance if they suspect that someone is experiencing more than momentary distress. It is an extremely serious matter to delay first aid when it is needed, and marshals who ignore injuries may have their ability to supervise combat suspended.
3. In the event of an emergency, everyone must cooperate with any authorities responding to the emergency and keep the area clear of spectators.
4. The parent, or responsible adult, must be informed immediately and escorted to the field if not already there.
5. Do not enter the field to assist until given the go-ahead by a marshal, once combat has stopped.

Treatment

1. Emergency treatment has implied consent that doesn't require the parents' permission, though if they are present they should be asked.
2. Parents must give consent for non-emergency treatment, though the child might be old enough to provide their own consent (varies between country and state between 14 and 18). If the parents are not present, the nominated caregiver must contact them to gain consent for non-emergency treatment.
3. If the injured person is an adult, they must be asked if they would like assistance. You cannot make a conscious adult accept treatment without their consent.

Return to the field

1. If the injury involves a suspected concussion, the injured person must leave the field and cannot participate in combat or training until assessed medically, even if symptoms resolve. The injured person should be assessed against Concussion in Sport Group's Concussion Recognition Tool, and referred to a healthcare professional as appropriate.
2. If the injury involves free flowing blood, the injured person must leave the field immediately and may not return until the flow of blood has stopped.
3. If the injury might have been because of the actions of an opponent (for example because of an excessive blow), the youth armoured combat marshal-in-charge can remove that combatant from combat while the incident is investigated.

Reporting

1. Serious injuries must be reported to the Group Youth Armoured Combat Marshal, Kingdom Youth Armoured Combat Marshal and the Earl Marshal within 24 hours of the incident and reported to the Society Youth Combat Marshal within 48 hours. Include all available details in the report. Serious injuries include:
   • all injuries which require hospitalisation or may require complex medical care
   • any injuries that include a period of unconsciousness.
2. Any incident involving calling emergency services to site must be reported to the Kingdom Seneschal within 24 hours.
3. Any injury that means a combatant is unable to continue fighting (beyond choosing not to continue for their own comfort) must be reported to the Group Youth Armoured Combat Marshal and Kingdom Youth Armoured Combat Marshal within 24 hours of the incident.
4. Other adverse events must be included in event reports, and reported to the Kingdom marshallate within 2 weeks and to the Society Marshal within 3 months of the incident. These include:
   • injuries which resulted in bleeding, and/or which required a combatant to retire from the field, even briefly.
   • near misses. Near misses are incidents which had the potential to cause, but did not actually cause, a serious injury, such as a fencer receiving a blow from an untipped sword.
5. Documentation including the relevant marshals' and witnesses' accounts, and images, are highly encouraged to provide the greatest detail for these records.
6. Incidents and injuries that might not otherwise be considered reportable are encouraged to be reported to the Marshal-in-Charge, and included in event and quarterly reports.
7. The Kingdom Youth Armoured Combat Marshal must ensure that an investigation into the incident is undertaken and a report provided to the Kingdom Earl Marshal within 10 days of the incident being reported.