Superintendent Dr. Alan Cron
34 MacKinlay Way,
Rockland, MA 02370
For Immediate Release
Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Rockland Public Schools Faculty and Staff Participate in National Stop the Bleed Campaign
ROCKLAND — Superintendent Alan Cron is pleased to announce that members of the Rockland Public Schools Crisis Intervention Teams participated in hands-on first aid training last week as part of the nationwide Stop The Bleed campaign.
Rockland faculty and staff learned how to properly apply pressure to and dress a wound, as well as how to apply a tourniquet to control bleeding in order to ensure they are better prepared in a life-threatening emergency.
“Uncontrolled bleeding injuries can result from natural and man-made disasters and from everyday accidents,” according to a White House statement from the 2015 launch of the Stop the Bleed campaign “Providing bystanders with basic tools and information on the simple steps they can take in an emergency situation to stop life threatening bleeding can save lives. Research has shown that bystanders, with little or no medical training, can become heroic lifesavers.”
While bleeding may not be the most comfortable topic to discuss, the federal government is pushing the conversation forward and trying to normalize this level of first aid in the same manner as other popular lifesaving techniques. Stop the Bleed has its roots in the popular use of CPR and automatic external defibrillators, which are widely available in public buildings and spaces including government buildings and airports. Improving public awareness about bleeding can similarly mean the difference when seconds count.
The 90-minute training session took place on Jan. 11 at Esten School and was led by Col. Richard Bailey of the U.S. Army Reserve 104th Medical Brigade. Members of the Rockland Police and Fire Departments were also on-hand for the training.
There were 23 employees trained from the Crisis Intervention Teams at each of the five schools. Additionally, Rockland Fire Chief Scott Duffey, six Rockland firefighters, and Rockland Police Department School Resource Officer Ethan Schnabel also attended.
Esten School nurse Maryellen Concannon spearheaded the effort to bring Stop the Bleed to Rockland after receiving a grant from the Rockland Education Foundation.
“Our most important responsibility is ensuring that our schools are safe environments for everyone,” Superintendent Cron said. “While we hope we never have to use these skills, they are an essential way to help fulfill that responsibility in the event of an emergency.”
ABOUT STOP THE BLEED
Launched in October of 2015 by the White House, Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign and a call to action. Stop the Bleed is intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives.
No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders will always be first on the scene. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, therefore it is important to quickly stop the blood loss. Those nearest to someone with life threatening injuries are best positioned to provide first care. According to a recent National Academies of Science study, trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans under age 46.
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