(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Severe bleeding emergencies can happen anywhere at any time.
That’s why Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications announced Tuesday that it is expanding its “Stop the Bleed” program and installing trauma kits in every city building.
OEMC has installed more than 550 bleeding-control kits in 350 city facilities, Executive Director Rich Guidice said. Recent installations were 25 kits at Navy pier and 101 kits across 13 city colleges, he said.
One wall-mounted bleeding control kit contains a tourniquet, gauze, sheers, gloves and an instruction manual. Each is designed to treat eight victims and bridge the gap between initial life-threatening injuries and EMS arrival.
“Uncontrolled bleeding, in fact, is the number-one cause of preventable death for trauma patients,” said Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason with the American College of Surgeons. “Every chance to control bleeding in the field gives the surgeons and the trauma teams a better chance at saving that patient's life.”
In an effort to make sure that anyone can become an immediate responder, each trauma kit also contains a QR code that links to an online interactive course.
The Stop the Bleeding program was created in 2015 by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. The program has trained more than 1.5 million people.
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