Red Cross First Aid Station Team at Neyland Stadium Celebrates 60 Years of Service

The First Aid Station Team celebrated 60 years of service in the East Tennessee Chapter. Below is a brief history of the program.

FAST and Neyland Stadium

On any given weekend during the fall of each year, many Americans can be found in stadiums across the country. The management teams of each stadium strive to meet the needs of these short-term mass gatherings. While many of the attendees will not be local to the stadium, the individuals have one common goal in mind – their favorite team will win. What they do not consider is, “What do I do should I become hurt?” Since 1959, the Knoxville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, now the East Tennessee Region of the American Red Cross, has provided an answer to this question.

Beginning with a tent just behind the North Bleachers, the American Red Cross, with the assistance of the University of Tennessee, set up shop to provide urgent and immediate medical care in 1959. This was in the form of first aid to the fans that attended UT football games at Shields-Watkins Field. The capacity at that time was 46,390. It did not become known as Neyland Stadium until 1962. As the years advanced and the stadium grew so did the response of the American Red Cross.

From the late ’60s, Cotton Jackson, the Red Cross Safety Director, coordinated the activities at the stadium along with Dr. Robert Rubright from the University of Tennessee Hospital, who provided medical guidance. John Malatak took over the safety position and the stadium services when Cotton left in 1975. During this time, Dr. Robert Lash became the Medical Director. The concept of emergency medical technicians and paramedics was adopted throughout the United States during that period. By including these higher trained individuals, the level of on-site medical care rose significantly. Red Cross volunteers now include advanced first aid providers, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, registered nurses, and doctors.

In 1978, John Malatak left the Red Cross and Frank Brewer took on the role of coordinator and supervisor for the program. The role of supervisor was given to Mr. John Yu in 2008 and Frank Brewer became a liaison for the University on game day. Following the death of John Yu in May 2012, John Whitton became the supervisor for the program. Beginning in March of 2015, James Pesterfield took over as coordinator and supervisor for all University of Tennessee events. The University’s role has been to provide equipment including in-stadium transportation (mini-ambulances), communication, and supplies for this program. The Office of Environmental Health and Safety was first tasked with this role, which now is provided by the Athletic Department’s Office of Event Management.

Following the death of Dr. Lash, Dr. Randal Dabbs, currently the University of Tennessee Medical Center Medical Director Emeritus, Emergency and Trauma Dept. and President of Team Health MidSouth, became the Medical Director. Dr. Janet Purkey, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine and the Medicine Clerkship Director for medical students as well as a member of Faculty Internal Medicine, has coordinated the Residents from the UT Medical Center since 1991. No stranger to the American Red Cross, Dr. Purkey worked with the Red Cross FAST teams while completing her residency requirements.

At Neyland Stadium (capacity 102,455), The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Red Crossers along with second and third-year residents from the UT Medical Center, as well as members of AMR Ambulance Service still provide that medical service. This service has always been offered to the fans at no charge for treatment.

From 1998 to 2007 was a time that included the top 10 largest crowds with Sept. 18, 2004, seeing 109,061. Each season well over 700,000 fans attended the UT home games annually. Our teams treated a total of 1,949 fans and transported 296, whose ages ranged from 2-months-old to 91 years. These treatments ranged from minor injuries, simply a cool place to rest, to major trauma stabilization or other life-threatening illnesses.

This medical coverage was originally accomplished with an average of 36 volunteers per game. Beginning in 2015, the FAST team began averaging 60-70 volunteers per game. During this time frame, the FAST members have logged over 340,000 hours of volunteer time. They are strategically placed throughout the stadium or in one of four First Aid Stations. They must all be ready to respond to the call for help