May 22, 2018
National Stop the Bleed campaign to be
initiated in Chester County Schools
Campaign designed to do for bleeding injuries what
CPR has done for heart attacks
West Chester, PA: The Chester County Department of Emergency Services has partnered with the Chester County Intermediate Unit and Paoli Hospital Regional Trauma Center to introduce the Stop the Bleed initiative to all schools in Chester County. Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign and a call to action intended to encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives.
Teachers, staff and older students in schools should be empowered to be immediate responders in a crisis situation,” said Robert J. Kagel, Director, Chester County Department of Emergency Services. “Our aim is to have hundreds of school teachers, staff and older students trained to follow the Stop the Bleed instructions, and to have school building in Chester County equipped with a tourniquet kit that is easy to use, effective, affordable, and that helps to save lives.”
Each school Stop the Bleed kit includes bandages, gauze pads, emergency blanket, tourniquet, medical gloves and a bag to keep the kit secure. Grant funds were secured by Southeast Pennsylvania Regional Task Force to ensure Stop the Bleed tourniquet kits are available for all public school buildings in Chester County.
“Bystanders are the first people on the scene of an accident, and they can save a life with effective bleeding control,” added Kagel. “Whether faced with an accident, mass casualty incident, or an active shooter situation, everyone must be able to stop the bleed.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, it can take less than five minutes for someone to die from blood loss. Hemorrhage is the second leading cause of death for patients injured in the prehospital environment, accounting for 30 to 40 percent of all mortality. No matter how rapid the arrival of emergency responders, bystanders will always be the first to provide care. It is vital that everyone has the knowledge and the tools to stop bleeding before it’s too late.
Schools in Chester County have received information on the Stop the Bleed program. The Department of Emergency Services asks all schools to support this initiative by partnering with the department for the training.
For more information about the Stop the Bleed program call Chrissy DePaolantonio at 610-344-5227 or [email protected]