FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Broward County teachers received special training in case of a medical emergency on campus.
Educators at New River Middle School learned how to efficiently twist a tourniquet to stop bleeding in case of an emergency, Friday afternoon.
The Stop the Bleed training is the latest course in Broward County. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue and Memorial Regional Hospital officials provided the training.
“This is going to happen across the county. Over 240 schools are involved,” said Andrew Rosenthal, trauma director at Memorial Regional Hospital. “We’ve already taught over 1,600 teachers.”
It’s a new reality for educators after the Parkland shooting.
“This is a course that basically teaches anybody and everyone — from the baby-sitter to the police officer — how to deal with an emergency hemorrhage,” Rosenthal said, “how to hold pressure and how to manage that patient until help arrives.”
Participants tried using the tourniquet on the arms and even legs in hope of being prepared for any tragedy.
“I think that every person should go through this type of training,” said Melinda Wessinger, the New River Middle School principal. “We do CPR training, we do AED training. The world we live in right now is different.”
They also learned how to pack open wounds and apply pressure.
“The hands-on actually taught me what to do if I was in that situation, and now I feel very prepared,” Wessinger said.
The goal is to get everyone educated and help others should the case arise.
“I really want people to realize that they can make a difference,” Rosenthal said, “that they don’t have to surrender to the violence that they see around them.”
The training was made possible by grant money. Every single school in Broward County will receive at least two Stop the Bleed kits in case of an emergency. All the schools are expected to have the kits by 2019.
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