Mt. Laurel EMS will hold its first class of the Stop the Bleed campaign on Nov. 14.
Nearly two years ago, Mt. Laurel EMS launched its Safest Community Initiative, with the goal to train locals in CPR, free of cost, to better prepare residents to assist in the event of a medical emergency.
Since its launch, EMS Chief Joseph Stringfellow said the program has allowed members of the EMS to provide nearly 3,000 individuals with CPR training.
With that success in mind, Stringfellow said Mt. Laurel EMS is now launching its second step in the Safest Community Initiative with its new “Stop the Bleed” campaign.
According to Stringfellow, this campaign will focus on training residents and employees of local businesses to apply tourniquets to control bleeding in the event of an emergency.
Due to injuries sustained in mass shootings and other dangerous incidents, Stringfellow said an individual who begins to bleed uncontrolled from their brachial artery or femoral artery will die in about three minutes if left untreated.
However, Stringfellow notes the average time for an ambulance to arrive is eight minutes after a call is placed.
“You can see there’s a problem there — eights minutes versus three minutes,” Stringfellow said. “The first line is the public being able to use tourniquets.”
According to Stringfellow, more than 20 tourniquets were applied in the immediate aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing, and even though they weren’t commercial devices, even those still helped save lives.
“Teaching people how to use tourniquets is a big push right now,” Stringfellow said.
Stringfellow said the Mt. Laurel EMS would hold its first class of the Stop the Bleed campaign on Nov. 14, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Mt. Laurel EMS Headquarters, 201 Masonville-Centerton Road.
Following the first class, Stringfellow said plans are to run the classes two to three times per month starting in 2018.
“We encourage people to come out and learn how to use a tourniquet,” Stringfellow said. “It can save a life just as effectively as CPR can.”
Stringfellow said the EMS is also working with businesses in the township to ask them to install wall-mounted, bleeding-control kits featuring multiple, easy to use, zip tie tourniquets.
Similar to the public access defibrillation program where automated external defibrillators might be available at a public business, if a business purchases bleeding control kits, Stringfellow said EMS members will go to the business for free to provide training for employees.
Stringfellow said businesses interested in installing kits can reach out to Mt. Laurel EMS and he would put those businesses in contact with a vendor.
Kits cost $85, with wall mountings costing $115.
For business that install the kits, Stringfellow said Mt. Laurel EMS would also replace any tourniquet that ends up being used for an appropriate medical reason moving forward.
“I’ll replace their tourniquets for them. It’s beneficial to them,” Stringfellow said.
Those interested in learning more about the Stop the Bleed campaign or signing up for a class can email safestcommunity@mlems.org or visit the Mt. Laurel EMS website at www.mlems.org.
