Tulane Trauma Education to train TUPD officers how to save lives in active shooter events
More than 80 Tulane University police officers will take part in “Stop the Bleed” training to learn life-saving techniques to respond to potential active shooter or mass casualty events. Trauma surgeons and staff from the Tulane Center for Advanced Medical Simulation and Team Training will teach officers how to use tourniquets to stop bleeding from gunshot wounds or other life-threatening injuries.
Trainers wearing prosthetic wounds will be part of the instruction as officers learn how to put pressure on wounds to stem bleeding before medical personnel arrive.
The course is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 9, and Thursday, Aug. 11, in room 203 of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life on Tulane’s uptown campus.
Each session will feature hands-on training for officers to learn wound packing, applying tourniquets to others and themselves, and ensuring an injured victim’s airway is clear for breathing.
All TUPD officers will be issued tourniquets at the end of each session.
“Having trauma training experts here at Tulane provides a unique opportunity for our officers to learn these critical life-saving techniques,” said Jon Barnwell, TUPD superintendent. “This is a skill you hope to never need but can be vitally important in an emergency response situation."
When applied correctly, a tourniquet stops arterial blood flow to the arm or leg and the wound, limiting blood loss and the onset of shock. Serious bleeding from an extremity is the most frequent cause of preventable death from injury. Severe bleeding can kill within minutes, potentially before emergency medical teams have time to arrive.
The “Stop the Bleed” course was developed by the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services and was co-sponsored and created by the American College of Surgeons and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). It was originally developed by NAEMT's PHTLS Committee with leadership from legendary Tulane trauma surgeon Dr. Norman McSwain.
