'Stop The Bleed' is new creed at Sierra Lutheran High School

Somebody simply must stop the bleed, and Sierra Lutheran High School is responding to that challenge. Recently, the faculty and staff of the Christian college prep high school in Carson City became the first schoolwide staff in Douglas County to take part in the national bleed kit training being promoted by The National Stop the Bleed Campaign.

Facilitated by the National Security Council Staff, the Stop The Bleed campaign was initiated by a federal interagency workgroup convened by the The White House. Its purpose is to “build national resilience by better preparing the public to save lives by raising awareness of basic actions to stop life threatening bleeding following everyday emergencies.”

“The bleed kits are there to be used if someone is wounded but savable,” said Fire Captain Chuck Salerno of the Tahoe-Douglas Fire District. “If you wind the clock back 21 years to the Columbine shooting, there were victims inside the school that ended up dying due to blood loss. Today we recognize that there is the possibility that something similar could happen and therefore preparation is key.”

According to a 2016 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, up to 20-percent of trauma deaths in the United States could be prevented with better care. A 2018 report from Healthline.com stated that more than 60,000 Americans per year die from hemorrhaging, or blood loss.

“Everyone agrees that while having the (bleed) kits is a good thing, we hope to never use them,” Salerno continued. “A good comparison would be the Automatic External Defibrillator (AED).

“In the event of a sudden cardiac event, the AED can be used to intervene if a person is savable. Quick action can mean the difference and AED's have saved many lives. Likewise, the bleed kits are there to be a tool to save "savable" lives.”

The four-hour training completed by the 14 members of the Sierra Lutheran High School faculty and staff was conducted by four instructors, including two from the Tahoe-Douglas Fire District and two from East Fork Fire District.

The program consisted of a basic computer presentation, followed by hands-on experience with the school kits and other equipment brought by instructors.

Each staff member was trained and had to demonstrate proper application of the various tools that included the purpose and use of regular and improvised tourniquets, wound packing and dressing, and victim movement.

“It is something that I think everyone should learn,” SLHS Social Studies and Theology teacher Brandon Neal commented. “The training at first seemed like it was going to be intimidating and complex, but it was the complete opposite. It was informative and helpful and I am glad that I have that knowledge now to assist others if a situation arises.”

The rise in the incidence of school shootings over the past two decades has helped raise the awareness and importance of bleed kit training, but Salerno states that training for other private and public interests is readily available.

“If non-school entities that purchase kits want to have professional training, local emergency responders can provide it,” Salerno stated. “We have trained local hotel-casino personnel and water company employees as examples. Local fire departments can share more information.”

Salerno went on to say that the bleed kits are something that emergency personnel have been trying to get into schools for some time now and hopes that the staff at the public schools will be able to complete the same training and be ready if something does happen.

“If an emergency were to occur I now feel prepared to correctly apply a tourniquet and know when a tourniquet is appropriate to apply,” SLHS Math and Physics teacher Hannah Krenz added. “The emergency personnel who did our training did an excellent job of communicating correct procedures and answering our questions.”

Stopping the bleed is a matter of life and death — literally.