EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – After two separate medical emergencies happened at El Paso athletic events last weekend, KTSM spoke with school districts and private medical companies about emergency protocol.

Fabens and El Paso Independent School districts outlined their medical plans that are in place in case someone is in need of immediate medical attention. Typically a private ambulance or medical services are hired at these events, since El Paso Fire serves as the primary emergency response agency for the entire city.

One of the private companies is ProAction, which offers a specific unit called event medical services. They are able to provide emergency medical services on-site at events so that they can respond in a timely manner.

Their services are offered to all school districts in El Paso County. However the level of care is up to their discretion.

“We are providing services actively for Socorro district. We do cover for Ysleta district. We are working with Clint district and San Eli district and it’s basically based on their needs and what they require,” said Paloma Herrera,  director Event Medical Services at ProAction

KTSM did request a comment from EPISD about what emergency services are in place at their sporting events. They did release the following statement,

“As part of El Paso ISD’s top priority to keep students and staff safe, the district assigns El Paso ISD Police Services officers to district events and notifies the Office of Emergency Management when mass gatherings are scheduled.  

“The University Interscholastic League does not require school districts to have emergency first responders on standby at games. El Paso ISD Police officers follow extensive procedures in alignment with district and state protocols when calling for members of these agencies to events to provide support for emergency situations.  

“In addition, every high school has allocated staff to include certified trainers who are required to attend athletic events.  

“The district will continue to act in accordance with its established procedures and continually pursue ways to enhance its ability to provide safe environments for all participants.“

KTSM also spoke with Fabens ISD about their safety measures. Currently their coaching staff are certified under the Coaches Certification Program for the UIL. They also employ an athletic trainer that attends all of their sporting events so that they can respond if there is ever an emergency.

Sofia Maciel, Fabens ISD spokesperson, says it is important to have medical personnel on standby in case of those emergencies, regardless if they are for athletes or spectators.

“Somebody in the stands trips or falls or we can have a situation where somebody fell and hurt themselves and immediately they were on hand and they were able to support this. It was actually one of our members of our staff and they were able to receive support immediately so in any given situation, they’re always going to treat it. It could be members of the public. It could be our staff and certainly our students,” Maciel said.