Emergency preparedness is a school-wide theme at Fletcher Elementary this year. As part of that effort, Thursday, Registered Nurse Pamela Scott, Chair of Emergency Preparedness for the Emergency Department at Northwestern Medical Center, trained Fletcher staff members on the lifesaving skill of bleeding control.
Stop the Bleed is a nationwide awareness campaign and call-to-action that trains and empowers bystanders to address life-threatening bleeding as a result of trauma to an extremity. Scott, a 20-year veteran of the Emergency Department and certified instructor in Tactical Combat Casualty and Bleeding Control for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, teaches participants to control bleeding through direct pressure and bandaging, assess the need for a tourniquet, and apply one if needed.
In addition to the no-cost training, in early October, Northwestern Medical Center’s Auxiliary allocated $20,000 to support the placement of bleeding control kits in schools throughout Franklin and Grand Isle Counties. The hospital’s website boasts that the donation is unique, as it is the first monetary support of equipment placed outside the Medical Center. The kit contains several individual sets of bleeding control materials including specially designed trauma scissors, gauze, and a tourniquet. Kits are typically located near a school’s publicly accessible defibrillator.
In 2013, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services reported that as much as 90 percent of patients with bleeding injuries could survive when expedited bleeding control is applied, as opposed to a 10 percent survival rate without appropriate and immediate treatment.
“Our emergency preparedness work at Fletcher vastly focuses on the prevention of emergencies and injuries, but it is incredibly important for our staff to know these kinds of simple, yet highly effective, responses to physical trauma that can make the difference between life and death for someone who is injured.”
Denette Locke, Instructional Coach
“With Fletcher’s rural location, the adults at our school truly become the first responders in any emergency situation,” special educator and safety team member Sarah Tucker said. “This training is about gaining the specific skills to help with bleeding, but it’s also about changing to a mindset that we need to act and not wait for help to arrive. That we can make all the difference.”
Christopher Dodge is the Principal of Fletcher Elementary School and is a regular contributor to THE FWSU STORY. You can follow him on Twitter @FletcherFalcon
The FWSU Story 