North Shore Rotarians at their luncheon last week learned about an important program used in the Galena Park schools, called “Stop the Bleed.” Bryan Clements, the police chief of the Galena Park ISD and a Rotarian, explained the theory and techniques behind the lifesaving program. After a serious wound, inflicted by accident, gunshot, or other event, he explained that it is important to help stop bleeding until medical responders can arrive. He said what happens in the first 5 minutes can make the difference in whether a life can be saved.
Clements said that the Texas legislature passed a law in their last session, that requires a “bleeding control station” in schools, plus training of personnel to use the blood stop kits.
With the help of the North Channel EMS, all GPISD schools north of I-10 have been equipped with the kits, and in total Galena Park ISD has 800 from NC EMS, and another 162 from the district.
Clements proceeded to show the Rotarians how the kits can be used to stop bleeding, including applying pressure to a wound, or packing a deep wound with gauze, and applying a tourniquet where needed.
He said the steps to remember when someone has a serious bleeding wound, is:
A. Call 9-1-1
B. Locate the bleed
C. Apply pressure, using your full body weight on the wound if necessary. You can cover the wound with cloth or gauze to help. Most EMS units respond within 5 to 7 minutes, so even though it seems like a long time, help will soon arrive. He said you should expect the victim to feel pain when you apply pressure, but that is necessary to effectively stop the bleed.
Clements said that the Galena Park ISD is fully committed to the program, and so far has trained over 3500 people in the lifesaving techniques, with more to get trained soon.
