Each month, the EMS Division hosts specialized training for its members in addition to the company’s regular weekly training sessions. This month’s training focused on *Stop the Bleed* and was led by Instructor/Firefighter/NREMT Sean Barron.

The program was launched following the *Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting* as part of a national effort led by the *American College of Surgeons* to train the public to respond to life-threatening bleeding emergencies, similar to how people are trained in CPR.
Stop the Bleed is a public safety program that teaches ordinary people how to recognize and control severe bleeding in an emergency before professional responders arrive. The goal is to prevent someone from bleeding to death in the critical first few minutes following a traumatic injury.

Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death from trauma, accounting for approximately 35% of trauma-related deaths each year. Severe bleeding can cause death in as little as three to five minutes—often before EMS arrives—making immediate action by bystanders crucial.

During the training, 18 members learned how to quickly recognize life-threatening bleeding and control it using three primary techniques: direct pressure, wound packing, and tourniquet application.