To the editor: By now we are all aware of what happened to 12-year-old Steven Damalewski from Wayne. The Little League pitcher that was struck in the chest by a ball and causing his heart to stop and is now in a coma. It is a rare incident, but it has happened to often to ignore. Immediate CPR and defibrillation is the only defense against death or long-term disability. Other youth sports can also experience a similar accident given the same conditions and timing. To further protect and safe guard our children from such a horrific accident we need to be trained not just in prevention but intervention. All West Milford coaches are welcomed and strongly recommended to attend the CPR and defibrillation training that will be held in September at the West Milford First Aid Squad building on Ridge Rd. A letter of class scheduling will follow after recommendations and suggestions from West Milford sport organizational leaders. I urge all coaches to attend and please encourage your team assistants to accompany you. Currently all our schools in West Milford have defibrillators and some sport groups have their own. The West Milford First Aid squad has trained the teachers and staff of our schools and are happy to train our volunteer coaches. Thank you for your dedication and concern for West Milford kids. Joe Smolinski West Milford