(Courtesy of St. Mary’s General Hospital) With the spate of anti-Semite attacks occurring almost daily, it behooves us all to be ready if, chas v’shalom, a tragedy should occur in our kehila. Sadly, with tragedies that have happened, we cannot wait for help to arrive; we have to know what to do now. You are the first first responder!
As part of the Prime Healthcare network, St. Mary’s General Hospital has a certified professional available to present to our kehila free courses for tragedies like this—practical, hands-on guidance on what to do in an active shooter situation including Stop-the-Bleed.
Our first program will be available to the community on Monday, January 20, at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s General Hospital. Registration is required.
Sadly, we don’t know when or where an active shooter event will happen. It can be in our shuls or schools or even in a mall, workplace, healthcare location or open space. By definition an active shooter is “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.” What we do know is:
Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly.
Typically, immediate intervention of law enforcement is required to stop the shooting and mitigate harm or death to victims.
Active shooter situations are often over within 10 to 15 minutes.
We need to be prepared both mentally and physically to deal with an active shooter situation.
While we are all concerned about the anti-Semite attacks, you should also know that they are not limited to our communities. The FBI reported 277 active shooter incidents in the U.S. between 2000-2018. This chart shows where these incidents occurred.1
About the Speaker
Jim Bradley has been with Prime Healthcare since 2014 and is responsible for education and training on workplace violence, which includes surviving an active shooter, following the Homeland Security guidelines. He has also completed Stop-the-Bleed certification by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. For 10 years Jim was a Philadelphia police officer and member of the tactical unit, which focused on violent crimes and narcotics before he was injured in the line of duty and retired. Jim does these programs regularly to the 45 hospitals in Prime Healthcare,
Surviving an Active Shooter Event
While you are 700 times more likely to die in a car crash than an active shooter event, safety is about being prepared. The mantra here is “Run-Hide-Fight.” You need to know how to apply these quick actions to improve your chances of survival should you find yourself in proximity to a shooter. Prime Healthcare has developed an approved active shooter program for use with staff and patients that it is sharing with our kehila. It is critical that you learn how active shooter situations unfold, how to be situationally aware, and what actions are necessary to improve your odds of survival.
Stop the Bleed
Uncontrolled bleeding is a major cause of preventable deaths. Approximately 40 percent of trauma-related deaths worldwide are due to bleeding or its consequences, establishing hemorrhage as the most common cause of preventable death in trauma. The Stop the Bleeding Coalition is focused on raising awareness of how, with the proper training and materials, death from bleeding can be prevented. The Bleeding Control Basic (BCon) Course is designed for individuals who have little or no medical training but who may be called upon as immediate responders to provide initial trauma care and bleeding control to a victim of traumatic injury before the arrival of Hatzolah in our community or EMS in public places. Remember, you are the FIRST first responder.
Refreshments will be served.
Remember
We are all very nervous because of all the recent tragedies, and we are all looking at how to protect ourselves and how to react to something as horrific as this. Too often, as time passes by, we forget the tragedy and become a little complacent in our daily lives. Remember, understanding these key programs are valuable any time: if one of your boys falls out of a tree and cuts himself causing major blood loss, or, when, chas v’shalom, another crazy enters our community. Be prepared!
Registration: Click on the link below to email George Matyjewicz with one of the following in the subject:
I will attend this training program
I am not able to attend but am interested in another day/time or more information.
I am not interested.
As in 2019, so too will 2020 be a year for educational seminars for the community. We are very interested in suggestions on education programs of interest to you. For more information please email George Matyjewicz at [email protected].
