Students learn lifesaving tips

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On Monday morning, students of Buckeye Valley’s Teen Institute club learned lifesaving techniques used by first responders to control bleeding.

The idea is to train high school students as first responders in case of a mass casualty incident in the school.

Lieutenant Dan Jividen of Delaware County Emergency Medical Services told the group of students there is only 5-6 liters of blood in a body and if it runs out, so do the chances of survival. “You guys are going to give them the best chance of survival,” he said.

Jividen is a paramedic with the county EMS, Emergency Medical Technician instructor and a member of the Delaware County’s Medical Tactical Unit.

Earlier The Gazette interviewed David Rosenberger, captain of Tri-Township Fire Department, one of the people behind starting the program at Buckeye Valley. He said he had read an article about a program in Ontario, Canada where students were trained to be first responders and able to administer basic first aid during a medical emergency.

Rosenberger said at the time, what has been learned in a mass shooting in most cases is the lost of life was because of the loss of blood.

“It’s bleeding control,” he said. “If we can administer some type of first aid by teaching these kids this is a tourniquet, this how you apply it, this is where you put it, this is why, lives can be saved.”

Jividen said to his students that after years of compiling data on the use of the tourniquet, it’s the best method for blood control.

The first tourniquet he demonstrated was commercially produced, but he also took them back to the basics of using what is at hand at the time.

Jividen told students that the most available thing to make a tourniquet will usually be a t-shirt and a pencil. He also suggested tapping pencils together because one alone might be too weak.

“The thing you have at the moment to stop the bleeding is the best device,” Jividen said. “It’s not always the best thing to use, but it’s the best thing you have.”

As students tried the techniques demonstrated by Jividen they talked about the class. “It’s not boring and more than an actual class,” said Max Gentile, a senior.

Gentile wasn’t sure if he wanted to go into the medical field, but he said he hasn’t ruled it out yet either.

Lauren Galloway, a senior, only said, “It’s eye-opening.”

The group is lead by Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputy Fred Strawser.

“The kids in the club are motivated students with good grades and are in more than one club,” he said. “I told the kids if we do this there’s no telling where it can go.”

Students in the club are learning logistics and radio communication and the Delaware County EMS has been awarded $1,000 grant from the Delaware County Foundation for the purchase of five medical bags and equipment to be strategically placed in Buckeye Valley High School.

Teen Institute at Buckeye Valley high school were up early Monday morning learning techniques used by first responders in a mass causality incident. Students took turns placing tourniquets on each other to learn blood control techniques. In the photo, Tyler Fitch places a tourniquet on the upper arm of Abby Del Riesgo to learn the technique.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2017/01/web1_DSC_0634F.jpgTeen Institute at Buckeye Valley high school were up early Monday morning learning techniques used by first responders in a mass causality incident. Students took turns placing tourniquets on each other to learn blood control techniques. In the photo, Tyler Fitch places a tourniquet on the upper arm of Abby Del Riesgo to learn the technique. D. Anthony Botkin | The Gazette

By D. Anthony Botkin

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D. Anthony Botkin may be reached at 740-413-0902 or on Twitter @dabotkin.

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