City Council Supports High School Program to Aid "Bleeding Emergencies"

The Austin City Council endorsed bringing the life-saving program Stop the Bleed to all Austin high schools during the February 7 City Council meeting.

The council resolution calls for Stop the Bleed kits to be used as tools in the case of a shooting; under the proposed guidelines, students would be taught by Austin medics how to provide assistance in “bleeding emergencies” while awaiting emergency medical response at the scene. Explorer Post 247, an Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services organization that assists youth in learning about EMS careers, would provide the training, focused on high school students.

CMs Leslie Pool, Jimmy Flannigan, Ann Kitchen, Alison Alter, and Pio Renteria sponsored the resolution, which calls for the city’s 2020 budget to fund full-time staff capable of providing the required training as well as the kits needed in case of emergency. According to the resolution, Stop the Bleed kits helped save three lives after the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh last year. Following the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, another 30 or so lives were saved using these kits. The BBC estimates that 113 people were killed or injured during U.S. school shootings in 2018, with 10 of those deaths occurring here in Texas at Santa Fe High School in May. Both the council members and EMS said they want students to be prepared for emergencies and are committed to ensuring their safety.

“In the event of the unimaginable, minutes matter,” said Alter. “Stop the Bleed trainings are quick and simple, and we know the program’s techniques can save lives. As parents and as leaders of our city, we must remain committed to protecting our children while we work to eradicate the threat of gun violence in schools.”