Tucson International Airport adds more bleed control kits in case of emergency

Published: Jul. 7, 2018 at 9:39 PM MST|Updated: Jul. 7, 2018 at 10:59 PM MST
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TUCSON, ARIZONA - With hundreds of people moving through the Tucson International Airport every day, the fire department is working to give passengers tools that could potentially save a life.

"Immediate responders can truly save a life between the time period and the incident when first responders arrive on scene," said Tucson Airport Authority Fire Chief Thomas Tucker.

Tucker is talking about bleeding control kits, with the department adding more last week around the airport.  What started as just about ten kits a few years ago has grown to 35 kits in cabinets at concourse checkpoints.

"We provide public access AED's for sudden cardiac arrest. In the event of a significant trauma, these events serve in the same way as a public access AED," said Tucker.  "We're talking about minutes, we're talking about that gap from when the incident happened and when first responders arrived on scene."

The TAAFD purchased the kits for the airport, with training available through the  "Stop the Bleeding Coalition" at Banner-University Medical Center.

"You can bleed to death in less than five minutes from a major cut, whether it's a shooting or putting your arm through a window in a major car crash," said Susan Kinkade, Trauma Outreach Coordinator at Banner.

"The first responder is really that person who is the first person on the scene, whether or not they have any medical training," said Kinkade.

Inside the kits, you can find shears, pressure dressing, gauze and a tourniquet.

"Make sure the scene is safe, and then the very first thing they can do is apply direct pressure to the bleeding," said Kinkade.

If you're interested in attending the next "Stop the bleeding" class or to schedule a group class, email Susan Kinkade at Susan.Kinkade@BannerHealth.com.

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