LifeNet recognizes Stop the Bleed Day
LifeNet Inc. will recognize National Stop the Bleed Day by holding a free skills training event at Hot Springs Convention Center from 10 a.m. to noon today.
The top cause of preventable death in trauma is bleeding, and 20 percent of people who have died from traumatic injuries could have survived with quick bleeding control, according to https://www.stopthebleedday.org.
Daniel Stramp, LifeNet Hot Springs’ quality improvement manager who is a former deputy coroner and served as a local paramedic for 18 years, said the skills are necessary for scenarios ranging from daily accidents to mass shootings, such as the one at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Stramp said he’s seen countless instances throughout his career where a tourniquet could have saved a life.
“If you’re working in your yard, working around machinery or if you even accidentally cut yourself in the kitchen a situation could arise that knowing how to apply direct pressure, pack a wound and apply a tourniquet can make a difference,” he said.
The event will include informational PowerPoint presentations, videos and a skills session to practice the bleeding control skills. While these techniques are painful to apply, Stramp says the pain is minor compared to
saving a life.
“We put so much focus on CPR, but within the last 10 years there are more frequent instances where these skills are pressing. After Sandy Hook and other shootings, in 2015 the military took a look at how to educate more effectively towards wound-related problems. That’s how the Stop the Bleed campaign came about,” he said.
While Stramp acknowledged the unfortunate circumstances that raise the importance of these skills; he hopes the community, schools and churches will take advantage of the opportunity.
“Accidents happen, but in this day and age it seems more and more prevalent to arm our citizens with the knowledge of how to help,” Stramp said.
There are 60 available spots for those interested in attending the event and Stramp said he looks forward to teaching these lifesaving skills.