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New Law Provides Heat Stroke Protections For Florida Student Athletes
June 25, 2020
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a bill that will require schools to do more to protect student athletes from heat strokes.
Known as the “Zachary Martin Act”, the bill requires health illness training and life saving equipment like AEDs for all schools that are members of the Florida High School Athletic Association.
Zachary Martin died in July 2017, after he suffered a heat stroke following summer high school football practice in South Florida heat. His mother, Laurie Giordano spent two years lobbying Florida lawmakers and the FHSAA for the protections.
The law goes into effect on July 1 requiring public schools to have a tub or other container that is full of cold water on the sidelines at all practices and games. Defibrillators will be required, and school personnel will be required to learn how to recognize heat illnesses including heat strokes and take immediate life saving actions.
Pictured: Washington at Tate, October 2019. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
One Response to “New Law Provides Heat Stroke Protections For Florida Student Athletes”
Played football back in the 70’s and I can’t remember 1 player that ever had heat exhaustion or stroke. We sometimes did 2 a days and we didn’t have a water bottle. We were told water makes you weak. Our dad would pick us up from practice and give my brother and I a half of a lemon each. I guess it’s because we were always outside all year running around. Our mom (who I consider a saint) would make us stay outside, she wasn’t having a bunch of boys messing up her house plus we had plenty of chores.With that said, kids today stay in inside way too much and that probably makes it harder to acclimate themselves when football practice comes around.