Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma.
STOP THE BLEED® is a national campaign that was created to better prepare the public to save lives by raising awareness of basic actions to stop life-threatening bleeding during an emergency. It was initiated by a federal workgroup to create protocol for national policy to enhance survivability from an active shooter or mass casualty event, informed by advances made by military medicine and research in hemorrhage control during wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization and its North Country EMS Program Agency are bringing STOP THE BLEED® training to the tri-county region starting in May. These trainings provide public access to bleeding control kits and training simulations in anticipation of diverse response scenarios.
“STOP THE BLEED® builds community resilience through education and engagement, transforming ordinary citizens into heroic immediate responders by raising mindfulness of the basic actions that can be taken to manage severe bleeding following everyday emergencies, mass casualty events or natural disasters,” explains Ann Smith, Program Director for FDRHPO’s North Country EMS Program Agency. “Over 500 community members will receive this training to render immediate assistance, arming them with the knowledge to stop or slow external bleeding before the arrival of professional responders—a single action that could save many lives.”
Approximately 20 emergency responders in the region will be trained to become STOP THE BLEED® instructors. This pool of instructors will then conduct at least 25 free training sessions in key community locations to empower civilians and other professional first responders (EMS, trauma professionals, fire, police, etc.) to administer the STOP THE BLEED® technique. Additionally, each community site will be equipped with supplies to perform the life-saving techniques should a bleeding emergency occur.
The STOP THE BLEED® initiative in the North Country was made possible through a $4,100 LEAD Impact grant from the Northern New York Community Foundation and its LEAD Council, which is comprised of young professionals who live and work in the tri-county area and are interested in enhancing the quality of life in the region.
For more information about STOP THE BLEED®, visit www.stopthebleed.org.
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