In the heat of things, UGA Redcoat Marching Band staying strong with safety protocols

For the University of Georgia Redcoat Band, the health and safety of its members is at the forefront of every decision made in regards to rehearsals and game days, especially in the Georgia heat. Director Brett Bawcum discusses the safety protocols they have in place to ensure the musicians aren’t getting overheated:

“Before any Redcoat steps onto a field for rehearsal, they are required to review our membership handbook, the largest section of which deals with health, safety, and culture. It includes procedures for almost any imaginable situation the band may encounter including weather situations and proximity to violence at a game. The single-most important part of that chapter is this policy: 'Members have the right and responsibility to decline any instruction that they believe would put them in harm’s way.’ This certainly would include an instruction to rehearse or perform in substantial heat without ample opportunities to hydrate and escape the heat and sun.

We very rarely rehearse in the hottest part of the day. During camp, we have outdoor blocks from 8:30 to 11:00am and evening blocks from 6:00 to 8:30pm. In addition, throughout any hot weather rehearsal, we monitor a wet-bulb thermometer. While there are no national standards for marching band rehearsal conditions, we use the wet-bulb reading with the Georgia High School Association guidelines for all sports as a reference for the count, duration, and nature of breaks we need to provide from rehearsal. Though members are free to stop for hydration and shade at any time they feel they need it, it is still necessary to build breaks into hot rehearsals because we know that some members will avoid taking breaks to steer clear of any stigma they may perceive.

Two years ago, we adopted a summer uniform that we plan to use for games played in intense heat. This includes a short-sleeve golf shirt and dress pants, rather than the heavy jackets and bibbers of our traditional uniform. On the hottest days, we have also rotated students out of the stands into shade throughout the game. While we supply water throughout game days, we typically start talking about smart decisions related to hydration several days in advance of that.

We never travel without medical professionals, both for their advice and their care for our students. On a typical warm game day, we have two nurses and two EMTs with the band, plus multiple physicians available by phone. There is also an athletic trainer at each rehearsal, specifically for the purpose of helping us avoid heat-related problems and appropriately addressing them.”

The Redcoat experience is among the most rewarding forms of involvement on the University of Georgia campus, yielding thousands of loyal alumni in countless career paths and lifestyles. The relationships that develop during this experience--both among members, and between members and their alma mater--are relationships they maintain and treasure throughout their post-collegiate lives. For more information about the band, visit bands.uga.edu.