Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) on Sunday, along with partners from the Austin Fire Department (AFD) and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO), held a Stop the Bleed course for local LQBTQIA+ businesses and community members at The Little Gay Shop in central Austin.
This event was the brainchild of a multi-agency team including ATCEMS Field Training Officer (FTO) Courtney Meyer, Captain Shannon Koesterer, and AFD Firefighter Kevin Carollo, in the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs. As mass casualty incidents increase in frequency, the importance of having trained “immediate responders,” throughout communities is vital. An immediate responder could be a bystander to an incident, or may even be a surviving victim who is able to assist those around them until first responders arrive.
“Immediately after the Colorado Springs attack, members of the LGBTQIA+ community reached out and expressed that they feel particularly vulnerable, and may not know what to do in a similar situation,” said ATCEMS Captain Koesterer. “We came up with the idea to provide this training, to empower community members and give them the knowledge and tools to potentially save a life.”
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After-action reviews of many mass casualty incidents have consistently determined that some fatalities could have been prevented using simple and effective bleeding control techniques immediately following the injury. This training teaches anyone multiple techniques to control life-threatening hemorrhage, as well as skills like tourniquet application, wound packing and more.
While Austin’s first responders are trained to make rapid access to victims during these events, those precious few moments before they arrive can mean the difference between life and death.
Sunday’s training was just the first of several that are planned, and what the team hopes will be many more. For the initial classes, the Capitol Area of Texas Regional Advisory Council (CATRAC) was able to provide additional training equipment, as well as 200 Stop the Bleed kits for participants to take home.
“This first class was absolutely a success. The initial supplies we got from CATRAC are a great jumping-off point, and we’re already planning out additional classes,” Captain Koesterer said. “We’re also in the process of seeking additional funding, so we can turn this into a sustainable, recurring training we can provide to the community.”
