‘Stop the Bleed’
A program teaches life-saving techniques to potential bystanders at traumatic events.
The surge in deadly violence in Milwaukee is a painful reminder that sometimes slogans and peace marches are not enough.
But as tough as it is to “stop the violence” on Milwaukee streets, it is possible to literally stop the loss of blood that results, about 30 community health and educational professionals and city residents learned Friday.
“Stop the Bleed” is a national initiative to teach life-saving techniques to potential bystanders at traumatic events.
Participants in the training at the Medical College of Wisconsin Friday learned how to pack gauze into open flesh, and apply tourniquets to wounded limbs and pressure to bleeding arteries.
“One of the things we find in common when a shooting happens is there’s a bystander,” said Reggie Moore, director of the City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention.
“If we can teach residents how to stabilize victims, it’s our hope that we can save lives in our city.”
People who are not accustomed to physical trauma may be squeamish at the prospect of placing their bare hands on or in an open wound, Melanie Sinclair, trauma coordinator for the community hospital division of Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College, told trainees.
“Just keep in mind that you are saving this person’s life,” Sinclair said.
Many things can be used as a tourniquet, from a belt to a T-shirt, Sinclair said.
And if no sterile material is available to pack an open wound, even a dirty sock can save a life.
“The most important thing is to stop the bleeding,” she said, “We can apply antibiotics later.”
Stop the Bleed was developed by medical professional after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 20 children and six staff members in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, she said.
“Many of those lives could have been saved if someone would have known how to stop the bleeding,” she said.
The session included hands-on training with replicas of wounded limbs and body sections as well as direct application among participants.
Ron Johnson Jr., 43, carefully applied a tourniquet to a woman’s arm, making sure it was tied several inches above her imaginary wound.
“I want to be able to save a life,” said Johnson, site supervisor at South Division High School for the Violence Free Zone Initiative.
“I’ve got the training and the knowledge and experience to help prevent violence. But now, with all these shootings, the actual hands-on part is also needed so I can literally save the life of a student if he’s hurt at school.
“I want to be able to call that student’s family and tell them everything’s going to be all right,” Johnson said.
Kweku Akyirefi, 46, wants to take what he learned to his brothers at the Omega Psi Phi fraternity house on North 2nd and West Center streets.
“We try to do a lot of positive things in the community,” Akyirefi said.
“I want to do this as a service for our neighbors.” The training provides participants with an “action plan” they can use in any situation, said trainer Samantha Durbin, a fourth-year student at the Medical College.
“A lot of times when emergency situations arise adrenaline kicks in,” Durbin said. “And at that point you’re just focused on saving somebody.”
Additional training sessions will be offered over the next three weeks.
People who are interested can visit www.414LIFE.com for more information.