Gadsden, AL- The Alabama Department of Public Health and the Gadsden Fire Department with other partner agencies are hosting Stop The Bleed on Friday, August 3 from 10 -11 a.m. The educational class will take place at the Gadsden City High School Library located at 1917 Black Creek Parkway, Gadsden, AL 35904.

The course is being taught to the Safety Teams from the Gadsden City School System while the educators are attending teacher In-Service days. The course will teach first responders in the school system how to stop bleeding due to an injury, shooting, or accident. Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma. The greater the number of first responders who know how to control the bleeding in an injured patient, the greater the chances of helping victims survive. The only thing more tragic than a death from bleeding, is a death that could have been prevented.

The interactive class will have mannequins for the educators to practice their learned skills. The Safety Teams will be given a full trauma first aid kit to keep at the school, and the attendees will receive a certification upon completing the class. Due to the increasing amount of school shootings our country has witnessed over the last year, our Gadsden Fire Department wants to instill the techniques, methods and knowledge educators will need if ever faced with a bleeding trauma situation.

The City of Gadsden provided funds for the Gadsden Fire Department to purchase the trauma kits, and additional resources were provided by Dr. Jeff Kirby, Chief of Trauma at UAB, Dr. William Crawford, Stephen Wilson, Senator Del Marsh, and John Blue, CEO of East Alabama EMS.

For more information on the national Stop The Bleed campaign, please visit https://www.bleedingcontrol.org/ or contact the Gadsden Fire Department at 256-549-4566.