Josephine Co. to add bleed kits in high-risk areas

Josephine County, Ore. — Local first responders and medical personnel are working together to put bleed kits all around Josephine County. They contain items, such as tourniquets and bandages.

It’s all part of a national campaign called, Stop the Bleed. Rural Metro Fire, AMR, and Asante are in the process of putting bleed kits in high-risk areas, including businesses and stores.

AMR said the idea for the campaign comes from active shooter events.

“They were finding that a lot of the people were not necessarily dying from the initial injury but were actually dying minutes later for excessive blood loss,” said Mark Wareing, American Medical Response (AMR).

The campaign isn’t up and running just yet. The project is still in the discussion phase. Agencies are currently brainstorming what supplies will go into each kit. The goal is to place a bleed kit next to community AED’s. This way, when PulsePoint app users are notified of nearby defibrillators, bleed kits will also be available.