DEMA to support Stop the Bleed initiative locally

The No. 1 killer of injured patients, including those injured during mass casualty events, is blood loss. In response, the Delaware Emergency Management Agency is supporting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Stop the Bleed initiative by serving as a distributor of special kits to be loaned to public safety partners and other community and civic organizations that are planning and staffing large-scale community events. The kits, consisting of a sling bag and individual Stop the Bleed materials, is not all-inclusive, but will provide emergency treatment during the first minutes of an event.

DEMA Director A.J. Schall said, "I hope the seals on these bags never have to be broken. But I believe that this effort is the most important since the American Heart Association promoted public and workplace access to AEDs. If the loan program is utilized, we will look to expand it." Delaware Citizen Corps now includes Stop the Bleed information in its CERT program training.

The program was launched by the White House in October 2015 to cultivate grassroots efforts to involve bystanders by providing training, equipment, and the empowerment to help themselves and other victims at an emergency prior to the arrival of trained, professional help. Stop the Bleed is administered nationally by the Office of Health Affairs of the U.S. Department of Safety & Homeland Security.

For more information for organizations that wish to borrow a Stop the Bleed kit for their events, contact Caryn Bennett at DEMA at 302-659-2210.