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Community Swansea West Wales

Life-saving bleed control kits introduced to defibrillator units

ON Tuesday, October 1, the crew at Pontardawe Fire Station welcomed the High Sheriff of West Glamorgan, Melanie James JP, to launch the introduction of Critical Bleed Control (CBC) kits to several Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) sites.

Following on from the introduction of lifesaving public access defibrillators (PAD) at 23 Fire Stations earlier this year, seven CBC kits have been integrated into selected PAD cabinets.

As well as the PADs, the CBC kits can make the difference between life or death for people who suffer catastrophic bleeding due to accidents, road traffic collisions, impalements, knife crime and more. They can provide immediate assistance before emergency services arrive.

The kits have been designed to be easy to use and include military-grade equipment – such as gloves, dressings and a tourniquet – and the instructions needed to control blood loss and prevent a person from bleeding out. A person can die from blood loss in as little as three to five minutes.

The initiative is being led by the High Sheriff of West Glamorgan, Melanie James JP, in partnership with Heartbeat Trust UK and The Daniel Baird Foundation. Recently, a £10,000 grant has been secured from Swansea Council to fund 100 kits to be housed in Swansea’s existing network of PADs.

Speaking at Pontardawe Fire Station, the High Sheriff Melanie James said: “I am extremely grateful for the support that I have received from MAWWFRS and their very generous donation of seven life-saving kits which are accessible for the public sited in the defibrillator boxes outside their stations in West Glamorgan.”

MAWWFRS Chief Fire Officer, Roger Thomas KFSM, said: “Integrating the CBC kits to the existing network of defibrillator units at our Fire Stations will further empower communities with the tools they need to act swiftly in an emergency before the emergency services arrive.

They will enable bystanders to become lifesavers by slowing or stopping bleeding when every second counts.”

The MAWWFRS Fire Stations that will have a CBC kit integrated into their PAD cabinets are:

Gorseinon, Reynoldston, Swansea Central, Swansea West, Neath, Seven Sisters and Pontardawe.

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