We joined SALVAS Learning and Islington Council on the 4th March to provide Bleed Control Kit Training to the local community.

The first training session of the day was presented by Michael Greville, founder and managing director of SALVAS, to 10 members of the local community from organisations such as Islington Boxing Club, Cape Adventure Playground, and St Andrew’s Church, where they were taught how to respond to life-threatening bleeding and how to best use the contents in a Bleed Control Kit. Each member was then given a Bleed Control Kit to take to their location.

Attendees are taught that bleeding is the main cause of preventable death of those who suffer a traumatic injury, and therefore, just how important access to a Bleed Control Kit can be, potentially saving lives. The workshop aims to equip the #ZeroResponder; a #ZeroResponder is anyone present at the scene of an incident who can provide aid before the emergency services can safely arrive on scene.

The workshop also got to learn how, Ines Freitas, a member of public, and a #ZeroResponder in action, used one of BlueKit’s Bleed Control Kits to save the life of a man who was shot in the neck in Birmingham.

With consideration given to the circumstances above, responding in a live scenario presenting imminent danger, attendees learn how to carry out a Dynamic Risk Assessment using POPS (Person(s), Object, Place, Situation), and are taught how to correctly inform the emergency services about the situation.

The workshop also covers, What3Words, a location application accepted by the London Fire Brigade, the Metropolitan Police Service, and the London Ambulance Service, that allocates each 3m² a unique combination of three words to make it easy for emergency services to find someone in need of help.

Trainees are also taught how to handover information regarding a medical casualty to the emergency services.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the training, is getting hands on, and learning how to use medical equipment, and even how to improvise to save lives.

Some of the items attendees get to practice with include, Emergency Trauma Bandages, Gauze Swabs, Responder Would Packing Gauze and Windlass Tourniquets.

Finally, trainees are reminded of the #ZeroResponder Principles which are:
Make sure you are safe

Call 999 ASAP
Find Source of Bleed
Apply Direct Pressure to Bleed with both hands
Apply a trauma bandage over the wound
If bleed is uncontrollable apply a tourniquet
Pack deeps wounds in the neck and groin/junctional area(s) with gauze or clean material
Never pack wounds in the chest
Keep casualty warm, even in the summer 

Councillor Sue Lukes, Islington Council member for community safety, said: “We are incredibly grateful to all who attended our training session on how to use bleed control kits. Our community leads said the training was informative and engaging and has given then the skills and confidence to use a bleed control kit if they are on the scene of a serious incident. Each of these organisations is doing a great service to the community and each kit we have in Islington could potentially save a life. We very much hope the kits will never need to be used, but they could make the difference between life and death.”

For more information visit www.bleedcontrolkit.co.uk
Author: Bailey Harris