Two hundred Staffordshire police cars now have bleed control kits on board as part of a jointly funded project with the Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime.
The specialist kits, designed to complement existing first aid supplies in police cars, are designed to control bleeding from trauma injuries caused by stabbings or serious road traffic collisions before the ambulance or paramedics arrive.
They contain a chest seal, chito gauze dressing and a rapid stop tourniquet which can be used by officers if they arrive first at the scene of a medical emergency.
The kits, which have been deployed in police cars across ten local policing areas, will build upon the static kits introduced in Burton-on-Trent by Rob Freckleton in memory of his son, Oliver, and in Stoke-on-Trent by Chit Chat 4 U, a group created by mums with lived experience to support victims of or involved in gangs, youth violence and knife crime.
They will be used by first aid-trained officers only, whereas the kits in public spaces can be used by members of the public with guidance from medical professionals.
Similar kits, also in use by Dog Handlers across the force, have already helped to save lives.
In one example, PC Smith, who works as a Dog Handler, used a tourniquet when he arrived first on the scene to find a man with severe bleeding. By applying tourniquets to the injuries he was able to stabilise the man until emergency medical assistance arrived. The man was taken to hospital for life saving treatment, following which, he thanked the officer for his quick intervention.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Ellison said: “We have put bleed control kits in 200 of our police cars so we can respond, help to keep people alive and deal with some really traumatic injuries.
“The bleed kits contain items that will help to save someone’s life while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Immediate action where there is a catastrophic bleed can make a big difference to the outcome.”
Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams, is Chair of the Violence Reduction Alliance. He said: “When someone is seriously injured, getting treatment to stop any bleeding as quickly as possible is vital.
“Here in Staffordshire, we take a coordinated partnership approach to reducing harm through our Violence Reduction Alliance. Introducing potentially life-saving measures such as these bleed kits helps to reduce the impact violence can have on communities.
“I am determined to do everything I can to keep our communities in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent safe, which is why I was happy to provide part funding for these kits, giving our Police officers the equipment they need to potentially save a life.”
