Summerville Police/Fire Bleeding Control Program Implementation

This week members of the Summerville Police Department and Fire Department received training from Atrium Health Floyd EMS in major bleeding control using tourniquets and various trauma dressings.  This training was conducted after the Police Department received bleeding control kits from a grant provided by the Tillotson-Menlo Charitable Foundation.

These bleeding control kits contain tourniquets, hemostatic gauzes, chest seals, and pressure bandages and have been placed in all of the City of Summerville’s emergency response vehicles. This allows public safety personnel to treat multiple bleeding victims at an accident or incident scene.  Additionally, these kits are designed to be used by people without any medical training so that bystanders who are willing to assist could provide bleeding control care if needed.

Uncontrolled bleeding from traumatic injuries such as stab wounds or gunshots can result in death within the minutes before emergency medical services can arrive.  This project of equipping the City of Summerville’s first responders with bleeding control kits results from the recognized need for the Police & Fire Departments to be prepared to render potentially life-saving care to individuals suffering from such injuries.

The Summerville Police and Fire Departments want to publicly thank the Tillotson-Menlo Charitable Foundation for their generous grant which made this project possible and their ongoing concern for the well-being of our community.  We also want to thank Atrium Health Floyd EMS for providing realistic and engaging training for our officers, as well as their dedication to caring for and treating the citizens of Chattooga County.