Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization teaches people how to stop a bleed

By Paul J. Prim Last updated May 21, 2022

FORT DRUM, New York (WWNY) – Apply pressure and pack. Two very important steps to save a life.

Officials say the main cause of death is severe bleeding.

The Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization taught people how to stop a bleed.

“It’s one of those preventable injuries, which we can train non-medical people to do in the field. And the result is that you can actually save a life,” said Tom Zecher, chief information officer at the health of the PHRFPO.

People have learned the ABCs of stopping a bleed.

first, you alert and dial 911.

Second, you find the source of the bleeding.

And third, you compress and apply pressure.

These are skills that people say can come in handy in any dangerous situation, like a mass shooting.

“We just think this is an important initiative, not just what we saw last weekend in Buffalo, or what we see across the country, but in general. Whether it’s a car accident, your home, something in your house. It’s just something that’s a life skill, which we think could really make a big difference in our community,” said Erika Flint, CEO of PHRFPO.

Ann Smith, Director of EMS, trained her colleagues. Smith thought it would be a good idea to start with in-house training.

“It could happen in your home to a loved one or anywhere in public. So having those skills and being able to help before emergency services arrive on the scene can help save someone’s life,” Smith said.

One of the key elements in stopping bleeding is compression, by applying a tourniquet. Once the tourniquet is in place, it cannot be removed.

Smith says the course is open to anyone. The Health Planning Organization is seeking 25 organizations interested in providing this training to its employees.

For more information, call the FDRHPO directly at 315-755-2020.