No more helpless bystanders

“The only thing more tragic than a death…is a death that could have been prevented.”

This powerful thought ends a presentation called “Stop the Bleed” by Dr. Larry Sue, faculty member in the University of California, San Francisco Fresno’s Department of Surgery.

By the time he makes this announcement, another group of Valley people of all ages will have been trained to save lives by becoming first responders in an emergency. The UCSF Fresno and Community Regional Medical Center Trauma Program have offered more than 70 classes and trained more than 1,800 people to jump in and save us if we get hurt and are (gasp) bleeding.

Maybe you should become a life-saver, too. It takes one hour to learn and the lesson is free.

Don’t back off scared now. It is doable, even by children, and you can learn it in no time.

The leading cause of death for Americans under age 46 is what doctors call trauma injuries. It explains 47 percent of the deaths, followed far behind by cancer at 12.4 percent and heart disease at 10.7 percent.

Typically, trauma means vehicle accidents, home or work injuries and other emergency situtations. Your family members or friends could easily need your help. No matter how rapid the ambulances, bystanders are always going to be first on the scene. It might be you.

A person can bleed to death in just three to five minutes; however, bleeding emergencies are responsive to treatment from bystanders. Timing is critical. Students in each class will learn how recognize a bleeding emergency and when to jump into action. The lesson shows how to apply pressure, apply tourniquets and pack wounds to stop blood loss until help arrives.

The good news is many lives can be saved simply by stopping blood loss for the first critical minutes before professionals get to the scene.

The idea of empowering bystanders to step in before paramedics arrive in some cases is so universal that it was launched in a national campaign by the White House in 2015. The Department of Homeland Security brought together a number of federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and corporations to develop and disseminate resources to train the public.

Stop the Bleed is intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that encourage bystanders to get trained, equipped and empowered to help out. UCSF Fresno and Community Medical Centers are collaborating to train as much of the Fresno area population as possible.

Last week Selma High School’s administration, staff, faculty and students in the Doctors Academy were taught the techniques. You can be the next to learn when UCSF Fresno and Community Medical Centers team up on National Stop the Bleed Day, Saturday March 31 from 1 to 2 p.m. at Clovis Community Medical Center to offer a free Stop the Bleed training. Registration is required: https://bit.ly/2pJx4z4 by Thursday.

What else can you do? Step forward to arrange training on how to stop blood loss to your community, organization, workplace or school. Details? UCSF Fresno at 449-6400.

This story was originally published March 28, 2018 at 9:52 AM with the headline "No more helpless bystanders."