Soup kitchen staff in bleed control training

SOUP kitchen staff in Glasgow have received vital training in bleed control after a “horrific” stabbing took place near its provision.

Volunteers at Homeless Project Scotland will now carry Zero Responder kits with them that help to stop bleeding in the crucial three to five minutes following an incident.

The first aider packs – provided by SALVAS, a Glasgow-based violence reduction consultancy – can help to save lives before paramedics arrive at the scene of an emergency.

Chairman of the charity, Colin McInnes, said: “By installing the bleed control kits and with training from SALVAS, we are ensuring that our service users and staff will be as safe as possible.

“If an incident does occur, we will be ready to save lives by stopping bleeding and keeping people alive until professional, paramedic help arrives. Proper bleed control kits and training in their use will enable us to ensure that lives can be saved if any such incident arises.”

An incident at the Argyle Street unit last month saw a man taken to hospital with serious injuries after a violent altercation broke out.

McInnes added: “This incident was horrific and the bleed control training would have come in extremely handy in those circumstances.

“Now that we have received this training, our staff feel confident in the event of an emergency that they can stop any catastrophic bleeding and help to save a life.”

The provision of the bleed control training reflects meeting the needs of forthcoming UK-wide legislation, the Protect duty – also known as Martyn’s Law.

It is named after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.

Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray, campaigned for all public venues, such as arenas, cinemas, churches and hotels to adopt a creative and coherent approach to public safety.