PGA Tour: Doctors Stationed at Congressional for Medical Emergencies

By Local Patch Editor Greg Cohen

With gates already open for AT&T National practice days at Bethesda's Congressional Country Club, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services are on watch, hoping to ensure attendees stay safe during the weeklong golf outing.

MCFRS is overseeing the tournament's medical services as well as ensuring the safety of temporary structures that are set up solely for the tournament, Operations Chief Scott Goldstein told Patch.

"Heat is the major issue, followed by orthopedic injuries and exertion," Goldstein said. "Heat because of the environment (note: temperatures are expected to be in the 90s all week, with heat indicies topping 100 degrees) and other injuries because of the terrain and improper attire, particularly footwear."

MCFRS officials have an excessive heat plan in place that would require additional crew and/or volunteers to be stationed at Congressional. During last year's event, additional resources were brought in due to excessive heat the Friday before the derecho storm, Goldstein said.

Approximately 50 MCFRS crew and volunteer members are stationed at the Bethesda country club all week—spread out across four zones (the clubhouse, holes 1-9, holes 10-15, and holes 16-18 and the main entrance)—providing medical care to attendees as needed from 6 a.m. to the end of play each day, Goldstein said.

Each of the four zones has a first-aid trailer operated by George Washington University Hospital staff, Goldstein said. Two physicians will be housed in each trailer, something that provides a great bit of assistance to MCFRS staff.

"[Patients] we would normally take to the hospital from the street, we can instead take immediately to the trailer for observation from a physician before sending them home or to a hospital for treatment," Goldstein said. "The physicians help with advanced medical care on-site and protocols we can't do in the field."

The operations  chief said he doesn't anticipate many people will need treatment for over-doing it with the alcohol.

"We don't deal with many intoxicated individuals ... police presence helps quell those incidents," he said. The tournament is strict with visibly intoxicated attendees and is very good at limiting alcohol purchases to those people, Goldstein said.

To drive to the tournament, you'll need to park at a designated parking lot and take a shuttle bus to Congressional. For information on driving to see the AT&T National, read more on Patch.

Biking or taking the bus to Congressional? Here's what to know.