One person can make a difference. That was the idea behind the recent Stop the Bleed training course that taught participants basic bleeding control techniques.

With simple steps, it only takes one person to stop a bleed, said event organizer Peter Fischer, MD, a trauma surgeon at Regional One Health’s Elvis Presley Trauma Center.

“Sixty seconds can make the difference between life and death if a major artery is hit,” Dr. Fischer said. “What we’re trying to do is make the public the initial responder to try to help save people’s lives.”

The event was held in early February at Southwest Tennessee Community College’s Macon Road campus and was open to the public. Stop the Bleed is a national effort initiated by a federal interagency workgroup convened by the National Security Council Staff of the White House. The purpose is to build national resilience by better preparing the public to save lives by raising awareness of basic actions to stop life-threatening bleeding following everyday emergencies and manmade and natural disasters.

Bleedingcontrol.org is an initiative of the American College of Surgeons and the Hartford Consensus and provides resources on how anyone can stop a bleed effectively.

To learn more about future courses, please sign up to receive notifications at our Stop the Bleed page.

Watch Dr. Fischer on News Channel 3’s Live at 9 below and watch the event story at WMC Action News 5.