Getting a grip on tourniquets
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
“You’re the first responder. You’re their lifeline.”
Pat Hager of the Washburn Volunteer Ambulance Service addressed a room full of Washburn School staff members last week with one message - Stop the Bleed.
Hager and other ambulance volunteers spent some time at the school Friday teaching teachers and faculty members how to apply tourniquets to bleeding patients.
“Uncontrolled bleeding can kill someone in minutes,” Hager said, advising the group that anyone can be a life saver, even without medical training. Hager said it’s as simple as knowing what to do.
“First you assess your situation,” Hager said. She said if the patient is in immediate danger, first priority is getting them to safety. This may mean moving them off of a roadway or under a shelter.
