“I just approached a person with a wound in need of help. I packed the wound and put pressure on it to try to stop the bleeding but the bleeding didn't stop. So then I applied a tourniquet and tightened it down, which stopped bleeding.”
Erin Thomas, an assistant principal at Fox Hollow Elementary School, was one of thousands of staff members to go through realistic training to stop bleeding. She performed the steps on a piece of equipment that simulates a person’s arm.
Intermountain Health and the Alpine School District are working with community partners to complete Stop the Bleed training at the majority of their 90 schools.
Recent legislation in Utah requires schools to modify their current safety plans, and the Alpine School District has incorporated this vital training to help respond during an emergency in partnership with Intermountain Health.
Trauma specialists from Intermountain Health see multiple types of injuries in the emergency department and know the difference this potentially-life saving training can make.
“Teaching people proper CPR for the last several decades has made a huge difference in saving lives and now Stop the Bleed training is aiming to do the same,” said Maranda Davis, RN, trauma services manager for Intermountain Utah Valley Hospital in Provo. “Providing our educators an opportunity to have a hands-on experience with tools is a key component to this training. It helps remove the hesitancy someone may have due to what they have seen in movies or on TV.”
Volunteers from local fire departments and other first responders also helped complete the training.
“Alpine School District relies on and appreciates the relationships it has with community partners, and without it a task of this magnitude would be impossible to accomplish,” said Joe Hayes, director of safety and operations for Alpine School District. “The expertise provided by these partnerships allow our employees to meet the goals and expectations of an evolving safety landscape.”
Thomas says the training will help her stay calm in an emergency.
“Dangerous things can happen in a school that, and we need to be prepared. Sometimes the knowledge and confidence of the first person on site can make a life-saving difference,” she said.
For more information on Stop the Bleed training classes in your area, click here.