For the second time in six weeks, the Killingworth Ambulance Association will conduct a “Stop the Bleed” class. The course is scheduled for Saturday, Sept.24, at the KAA’s Route 81 headquarters.
It will begin at noon, is free and is open to persons 12 years and older. However, all those attending are required to wear masks and urged to complete RSVP forms that can be found here: (RSVP – Killingworth Ambulance Association).
“Stop the Bleed” is a nationwide awareness campaign (STOP THE BLEED – Save a Life | Stop The Bleed) launched in 2015 by the White House and Department of Homeland Security. It is designed to empower bystanders with the training necessary to deal with traumatic events and emergency bleeding situations before help arrives.
The KAA conducted several “STB” classes annually until the COVID pandemic emerged in 2020. Now it’s back, with its first class of this calendar year held Aug. 13 with 14 students.
The value of the course was underscored in October, 2019, when a state trooper responding to an accident at Middletown’s Vinal Technical High School implemented a “Stop the Bleed” kit to treat what was termed “a catastrophic injury” that involved profuse bleeding.
Officials later said quick thinking by the state trooper may have saved the victim’s life.
The KAA first offered “Stop the Bleed” classes in July, 2017, making Killingworth the first Connecticut town to have its citizens certified. Since then, it has conducted 36 classes and had “Stop the Bleed” stations” installed at the Killingworth Public Library and Town Hall.
For more information, contact the Killingworth Ambulance Association at (860) 663-2450.