First responders in northeast Arkansas are to receive training in life-saving medical techniques. A 142-thousand dollar grant from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Blue and You Foundation will train over 600 law enforcement officers and firefighters in how to save lives with the use of advanced first aid kits and tourniquets. Dr. Spencer Guinn has advocated for tourniquets to be in the hands of all first responders in the state, as well as citizens. He tells why this would be important for citizens to be equipped, especially while traveling on highways:
“If you are involved in a crash on a two-lane road, you may be the only person within 30 minutes that has had any basic medical training,” says Guinn. “If you wait that long for EMS to arrive, a bleeding victim could die before help arrives.”
Dr. Spencer Guinn presides over the Jonesboro-based Stop the Bleeding Foundation. He says this would be important in the event of car crashes or severe storms. Guinn says tourniquets count when seconds do.
“Instead of waiting on EMS to show up, we are empowering first responders to know what to do,” says Guinn. “This is important because typically police officers and firefighters are the first ones to show up at an accident.”
The training will take place in the Northeast Arkansas Trauma Zone, which includes the majority of the Arkansas Delta Region.