It's as Easy as ABC: Stop the Bleed Training

“With 3 quick actions, you can be trained and empowered to save a life.”

Robert Gross from UPMC visited the teacher in-service today to train the staff in “Stop the Bleed”, a system to control severe bleeding that, within 5 minutes, could mean the difference between living or dying.

It’s as easy as A-B-C.

• A = Alert 911 before beginning. Send someone, tell them to make the call, or take the time to call yourself because time does matter; later, you may not have the opportunity to call for an ambulance.

• B = Once you make sure the scene is safe, blood must be stopped. Make sure the area is safe, and determine the source of the wound. This location of the injury affects how it should be treated.

• C = Compression is next. Pack the wound and direct pressure. For injuries on the arm or leg, a tourniquet should be used high up on the arm or close to the groin, depending on the affected limb. Gross repeated that this is incredibly uncomfortable to the victim — even painful — but that it is necessary to remain as calm as possible. The tourniquet must be tight and the victim will live to complain another day.

Then, Gross invited the staff to get the feel for applying the tourniquet on a training “limb”.

The activity was an eye-opening activity for some and a helpful reminder for others; the LCCTC staff hopes they will never need it, but should they, they are now trained.

Thank you Robert Gross and UPMC, for sharing your time and skill with us today!