DCSO Provides Empowering Stop the Bleed Training to Regional High School Staff
DUKES COUNTY - On August 28, Dukes County Sheriff’s Office’s Stop the Bleed Instructors led a Stop the Bleed training for Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School teachers and staff. Sheriff’s Deputies, including medical staff, led participants through hands-on practice after the training, giving teachers and staff the opportunity to use the same tools available to them in the Stop the Bleed kits that have been recently placed in the school.
Stop the Bleed is a community-focused training program in bleeding control principles. It teaches bystanders how to provide immediate aid until first responders are able to arrive and provide medical attention to an injured person. The goal is to empower individuals to be able to control bleeding and, ultimately, prevent death. Wednesday’s initial presentation brought valuable information to a broad group, with 45 staff members completing the certification, with plans to certify more education professionals throughout the coming school year.
Course participants learned the ABC’s of bleeding control: A, Alert 911 and ask for bleeding control supplies; B, Find the Bleeding injury; and C, Compress the area with direct pressure. With hands-on instruction from Dukes County Sheriff's Office Deputies, participants learned how to use tourniquets, pack wounds and other critical steps to take in the moments following a traumatic event before first responders arrive. The techniques are straightforward and are designed to be utilized in everyday life by anyone, of any age, without any prior medical training.
“The information you learn here today may be used to save someone after a shooting, yes; it may also be used in the case of an injury caused by a car accident, or for a student who cuts their leg badly on a piece of metal walking by a table. As educators, students and other staff may look to you as an authority in these scenarios, and these are tools that give you a better chance at effectively saving a life.”, Captain Arpin shared during the presentation.
We at the Dukes County Sheriff’s Office wish to thank the dedicated professionals who took time out of their day to participate in this training; it is never an easy thing to imagine a scenario where a peer, student or even a stranger is injured badly. We wish to thank the Oak Bluffs Police for helping to facilitate hands-on training, and the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School for having us. In the event of a life-threatening bleed, it is often those first moments before help arrives that are most crucial to survival, and we look forward to continuing to support the schools of our community in their efforts to provide staff with life-saving tools they can use for themselves and others.