By Jamie L. Costa
The Eagle-Tribune
SALEM, N.H. 鈥� When members of the Salem Fire Department learned that several youth football players were concussed at the start of their season, the department donated thousands for the team to purchase Guardian caps.
On Monday night, Salem Rams coaches, players and their parents met with firefighters at the Main Street station to thank them for their generous contribution to help prevent concussions in their players.
鈥淎 lot of parents are apprehensive about contact sports, especially with football, and there鈥檚 always a fear of concussion or other injuries,鈥� said Rams President Mike Bolduc.
The Guardian caps are made of lightweight padding that is placed over the hard shell of the helmet to reduce some of the impact that can be sustained during play. This year, they were permitted by the NFL for in-game use and helped prevent concussions by 52%.
The project was spearheaded by volunteer coach and Salem firefighter Ron Spicer who brought the idea to the Salem Firefighter Relief Association which unanimously agreed to reimburse the team for the $7,500 purchase of 140 caps.
鈥淭his fits in line with what we are trying to do in the community which is not just responding to emergencies but helping to prevent injuries,鈥� said fire Chief Craig Lemire of the association鈥檚 decision. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big deal for us to help them prevent future brain injuries and concussions.鈥�
When a child whose brain is still developing undergoes a brain injury like a concussion, they are at a higher risk for memory loss, attention deficit disorders, behavioral changes, difficulty with concentration and the ability to retain knowledge, said Jake DiGiovanni, a Salem firefighter and EMT.
鈥淭he sooner you鈥檙e able to put in preventative measures, the better it will be in the long term,鈥� he continued.
The charitable organization that paid for the Guardian caps is self-funded by the fire department and is not part of the town鈥檚 operating budget. Though this is the first time funds have been used to purchase safety gear for youth football players, it has been used in the past to support victims affected by fires and medical emergencies, and the department鈥檚 own members.
Without the help of the fire department, the Salem Rams, which is a fundraiser-driven organization, would be out a significant amount of money that would otherwise be used to support the team in other ways.
鈥淭his was a very expensive project and we are here today to express our gratitude to the Salem Fire Department who generously covered the cost of the entire project which was a huge expense to our program,鈥� Bolduc said. 鈥淭his has been a complete success.鈥�
Bolduc noted the team is ahead of the curve in purchasing the Guardian caps for its players, who range from ages 9 to 15.
鈥淲hen we started wearing them, other teams invested in them, too,鈥� he said.
Now, he said that both Windham and Pelham youth programs have their own Guardian caps and Derry is in the process of getting them.
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