South Fulton passes heat-injury ordinance to honor boy who died at park

The South Fulton City Council has passed a new law Tuesday to protect youth athletes from heat-related injuries.

The council members unanimously approved the Johnny Tolbert Heat Injury Ordinance, named after a 12-year-old football player killed by heatstroke during conditioning drills on a 90-degree day on a South Fulton field in 2016.

The law requires municipal recreation faculties to have 150 gallons of ice water around any time the heat exceeds 90 degrees to cool body temperatures if there’s a heat-related injury. The vessels will be donated by the Marquis Grissom, the Atlanta native who caught the final out of the 1995 World Series when Atlanta beat Cleveland.

“I feel the pain of the family,” Grissom said during the Wednesday press conference, per the city “We support the park and I thank all the sponsors. To get the water vessels in place would be a step in the right direction.”

Tolberts’ mother Michelle Wright spoke during the council meeting, according to a city news release. “It’s been six years; I’ve been fighting for six years, and I’ll continue fighting for six more or however more I have to fight. It’s not just for my child, it’s for other kids too,” she said.

The ordinance also requires heat-illness training for all coaches and athletic personnel who use any South Fulton Recreation facility.