Stopping the bleed can save a life, critical for survival after a shooting

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - One student is dead and another injured after a shooting at a school in Dallas this morning.

Now, a local school district is hosting a Stop The Bleed class for teachers in light of these recent shootings. The class at District 20 are used to help stop a bleed if you find someone with a gunshot wound or related incident.

This was held at Discovery Canyon Campus High School. School Nurse Bob Fredereck tells 11 News the standard response time for an ambulance is about eight minutes. With the high school being located in an area more up north, the response time is longer.

Eight teachers from the high schools learned how to stop a bleed with gauge. Fredereck says you have to apply steady pressure with both hands directly on top of the bleeding wound. Push down as hard as you can. Also make sure to hold pressure to stop the bleeding.

Here is video of teachers stopping a bleed.

Experts say this technique until emergency responders arrive.

“We want to provide first level care from the time that you call 911 to the time that the ambulance can show up,” said Fredereck. “Death can occur before that happens.

Another way to stop a bleed in more serious situations is the use of a tourniquet. Fredereck tells 11 News it takes less than two minutes for a person to die from too much blood loss.

Experts say when using a tourniquet, apply two to three inches above the wound. Do not place over the elbow or knee. You want to tighten the tourniquet until the bleeding stops. Make sure you do not remove the tourniquet for any reason.

Here is video of teachers utilizing a tourniquet.

This is important to help save another person’s life.

“Sometimes with deeper wounds, you have to pack the wounds to transfer the pressure where the bleeding vessels actually are,” said Fredereck. “Sometimes when it doesn’t work, you can apply a tourniquet to cut off circulation to the area.”

Eight teachers got certified today at this district to stop a bleed. They join the other 21 teachers who also passed this course.

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