LAHA NEWS RELEASE
Ten Los Alamos Hockey Association (LAHA) volunteer coaches and staff as well as some Los Alamos County Ice Rink personnel join the over 4 million people trained globally to become certified to perform Stop the Bleed techniques after training provided this winter season by the Los Alamos Fire Department. The training represents and extension of the LAHA’s commitment to player safety, guarding against the extremely rare instances of life-threatening lacerations.
Aware of the possibility of lacerations in work activities, Los Alamos County has already initiated efforts to install Stop the Bleed kits at county facilities. Michael Rosenow, LAHA youth hockey coach, presented the idea of building on those efforts for youth hockey to LAHA leadership at its 2024 annual preseason coaches meeting. USA Hockey, under which all Los Alamos youth hockey programs operate, had already updated their stance on Neck Laceration Protection before the 2024 season, and LAHA coaches and have ensured all season that players are wearing required neck guards for practices and games.
“Enabling volunteers on the ice to be able to provide emergency techniques to a serious ice- skating injury in the crucial minutes while emergency response is en route is a natural extension of USA Hockey’s new requirement,” said Chantielle Hanson, LAHA board president. “LAHA leadership committed to having at least one coach trained in each of the seven age categories LAHA supports. We thank the Los Alamos Fire Department for the training opportunities that have helped us exceed this goal.”
During a typical LAHA practice there may be more than 50 skaters with a wide variety of skills crossing a sheet of ice at high or very slow rates of speed, slapping pucks and at times experiencing “competitive contact” with other athletes. In the still-unlikely event of a serious accident — a 2009 study found neck lacerations to be extremely uncommon, and the majority of instances only required bandaging — instant first-aid responses while first responders are en route can build on the margin of safety afforded by available cut resistant base layers and the now-required neck protectors.
Over the course of several trainings, Los Alamos Fire Department Captain Kevin Kamplain instructed LAHA volunteers on the proper techniques for addressing a laceration. Successful responses deploy effective bandaging and wound treatment. Participants had specialized equipment demonstrated and took the opportunity to practice their skills on fellow volunteer coaches and staff.
What can you do to act? As spring hockey/camp season approaches, make sure to inquire whether the rink you’re using has a kit and trained responders. Secondly, May is Stop the Bleed Month. Look into planning a training session for your group. The training was updated in 2024 to make it more visual and easily digestible.
Since its launch in 2017, the Stop the Bleed program (developed and promoted by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma) has gained immense traction, globally, within legislatures, corporations and school boards. Community members who want to be like LAHA or even like the Chicago Cubs (the first Major League Baseball stadium to install Stop the Bleed kits) and bring Stop the Bleed kits and/or training to a school, employer, church or home, please reach out to Captain Kevin Kamplain at LAFD, Gilbert Miera (Los Alamos National Laboratory) or stopthebleed@facs.org.