During National EMS Week, Save-A-Life Day focused on empowering the general public to learn and apply steps that can be taken to help save a life.
In emergencies, bystanders are often the first to act. If someone is bleeding heavily, quick action can save their life before EMS arrives. The national Stop the Bleed initiative empowers the general public to learn a lifesaving skill.
Stopthebleed.org shares these tips that can help bystanders assist a victim:
1. Call 911 right away and protect yourself by wearing gloves, if available.
2. Find the source of bleeding. Open or remove the clothing over the wound so you can see it.
3. Stop the bleeding – all methods use firm pressure.
If you don’t have a trauma kit:
-Cover the wound with a clean cloth (shirt, towel, etc.).
-Press down hard with both hands.
-If the wound is deep, stuff the cloth into the wound first.
-Maintain pressure until help arrives.
If you do have a trauma kit but no tourniquet:
-Expose the wound and wipe the pooled blood.
-Pack the wound with hemostatic gauze, plain gauze, or a clean cloth.
-Press down hard with both hands.
-Hold pressure until responders take over.
If you have a tourniquet and the bleeding is from the limb:
-Place it 2-3 inches above the wound.
-Tighten it until bleeding stops.
-Secure the windlass.
-Note the time it was applied
Acadian Ambulance encourages members of the public to attend a community stop the bleed training, if available, to practice these lifesaving skills.
Acadian Ambulance provides transportation and medical services to areas in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, and its sister division, Acadian Air Med, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems.