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They work behind the scenes on the sidelines, be it taping ankles, icing injuries or providing first aid.

They are athletic trainers — a must for any athletic program, as much a part of the games as referees and scorekeepers.

That’s why Lee County principals and athletic directors, who have been challenged in recent years to secure certified trainers, might sleep easier in the weeks leading up to the 2006-07 school year.

The school district announced this week the hiring of three full-time athletic trainers, who will share coverage of the county’s 12 public high schools beginning this fall.

Herbert Wiseman, the director of secondary operations for the Lee County School District, met with county principals Wednesday at Fort Myers High to discuss the logistics of the new game plan.

“You don’t notice them much,” Wiseman said of the trainers, “until something goes wrong.”

Each trainer will be responsible for one of the county’s three school zones, Wiseman said, with the district to compensate “assistant trainers” who will fill in the gaps when certified trainers are not present.

The assistants will take a one-day class in first aid, CPR and defibrillation. They will be paid $1,500 for each sport they cover and must be available for any home games.

Wiseman expects most of the assistants to be faculty members, but anyone with a high school diploma (or its equivalent) is eligible to take the class.

“We have to have someone on the sideline,” Wiseman said. “The zone trainers are concerned more with injuries.”

South Fort Myers High principal Tommy O’Connell was happy with the news. He said he expects to have plenty of faculty interested in the opportunity to pick up some extra pay.

“The zone trainers will be a tremendous help,” he said. “But there’s only so many of them to go around. I’m going to get as many (assistants) trained as I possibly can. The more you have the better off you’ll be.”

Estero High principal George Clover believes the development could offer stability. County schools were pressed, he said, because they couldn’t always match the market value for certified trainers, who might make more money elsewhere.

“Having anybody that is trained in first aid and can give immediate medical attention is a positive,” Clover said. “This is an improvement for the simple fact that there is an order we know we can follow.”

The system isn’t perfect, though. Collier County high schools seem to have a blueprint in place — each athletic program is appointed one certified trainer, thanks to the school district’s long-standing agreement with Naples Community Hospital.

The relationship was tested in the spring of 2004, with a dispute over how the trainers would be compensated. NCH requested help from the school district after years of footing the bill, with the parties eventually settling on a more balanced agreement.

“Funding has always been a huge issue,” said Naples High athletic director Ernie Modugno. “We opened two new high schools (Golden Gate and Palmetto Ridge) a couple of years ago and that changed things. The hospital was looking for help because of the extra cost involved. I think Ed Morton (chief executive officer of NCH Healthcare System) realized the importance of the athletic trainers in the schools and made sure something got done. We’re very fortunate and blessed to have that arrangement.”

No one doubts the significance of the trainers. They are a staple on the sidelines in virtually every sport, there to treat injuries for wounded athletes and prevent them for those who are healthy.

For Lee County officials, this week’s development is seen as an improvement, with the principals and athletic directors no longer forced to hunt for certified trainers and lure them on their own.

“They haven’t had licensed athletic trainers on a regular basis in this area,” said Fort Myers resident Joel Safly, one of the three full-time trainers to accept a position with the school district. “It comes down to little things like checking out equipment to make sure it’s in good shape so no one gets injured. I think they’ve been lucky in the past to not have problems without the regular presence of a certified trainer on-site. I think the parents will see this as a tremendous benefit.”

“This allows us to have an organized system,” Clover said, “by which the heavy lifting is done by the regional person.”