If back injury is suspected after a football tackle, the dispatcher should transfer to Protocol 30.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only if there is loss of consciousness
• D. Only if severe pain is reported

Answer: (A)

When there is a suspected back or spinal injury after a sports tackle, you should route the call to the protocol that handles spinal injuries. This is because spine-related injuries require specific precautions to prevent further damage, including immobilization and careful transport. Even if the person isn’t showing loss of consciousness or severe pain, a tackle-based mechanism can mask a spinal injury, so activating the spinal-injury protocol ensures you provide the correct instructions for immobilization, monitoring, and rapid transport with spinal precautions. The need for Protocol 30 isn’t dependent on the presence of certain symptoms; it’s triggered by the suspected possibility of a spinal injury.