Someone can die of blood loss in as little as three minutes. That’s why Granby Ambulance Association is offering to educate town residents, businesses, civic groups, and government organizations on basic bleeding control methods through Stop the Bleed®.
Stop the Bleed is a nationally recognized program designed to inspire grass-roots efforts, such as the initiative started by GAA. The national awareness campaign was rolled out in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shootings and offers training designed to arm ordinary citizens with the skills and knowledge to save lives.
In a mass casualty situation, people on the scene become “immediate responders.” A bystander’s ability to quickly step in and stop bleeding may make the difference between life and death for an injured person.
Stop the Bleed has some heavy hitters behind it, including the Office of Homeland Security and the American College of Surgeons. Kate Coupe, chief of service at GAA, wants people to understand that the training has applications to daily life as well.
“You never know when you’ll need to use basic bleeding control methods,” says Coupe. “It could be a car accident, a simple kitchen mishap with a knife or even a fall. Understanding how to stop bleeding in these situations could save a life.”
GAA currently offers several training classes each month at its Granby and East Granby stations, thanks to the Women’s Club of East Granby and the Granby Lions who donated funds to purchase initial training materials.
“The response to Stop the Bleed has been great so far,” says Lorri DiBattisto, president of Granby Ambulance Association. “We’ve seen businesses, such as Galasso, offer this training to their employees. We are especially excited that the town of East Granby and the East Granby Board of Education are taking advantage of the program.”
In East Granby, school nurses and administrators will be trained on bleeding control methods, as will staff at town offices. Schools and town offices have also been fitted with basic bleeding control kits, thanks to generous donations from residents, such as Beth Webster.
DiBattisto hopes to see more businesses, government offices and schools take advantage of the program as they continue to roll it out. “It would be great to see the town of Granby and the Granby Board of Ed follow in East Granby’s footsteps and train teachers and staff on bleeding control methods.”
While GAA offers the training free of charge, there are costs associated with the program.
“We have training supplies that need to be frequently replenished,” says Coupe. “In addition, we would like to see each town office and school equipped with bleeding control kits. Each kit provides all of the materials someone would need to respond during a bleeding emergency.”
GAA relies on donations to replenish their training supplies and equip government organizations with the life-saving kits. If you would like to donate to support Stop the Bleed in Granby, contact Granby Ambulance Association.
If you are interested in scheduling a training session for your business or group, you can email GAA at training@granbyambulance.org or call directly: 860-653-6535 extension 101.
Training for individuals is held monthly. Check the GAA Facebook page for a schedule of events.