Fire department delivers training to stop bleeding

Residents have four chances to attend the department's one-hour "Stop the Bleed" program.

By Brendan Lavell
| 11:40 a.m. January 8, 2020

Two attendees learn a technique to control bleeding at a Stop the Bleed training session held by the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department. (Photo courtesy of Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department)

Longboat Key
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Chief Dezzi to speak on when to call 911

Longboat Key Fire Chief Paul Dezzi will speak at the Longboat Key Kiwanis Club meeting Thursday to educate residents about when to call 911. The most important message is that residents should always call 911 rather than attempt to transport a sick or injured person to the hospital by themselves. Dezzi expects to speak for about 15 minutes and then answer questions for another 15 minutes or so.

“I think that some people are afraid to call 911,” Dezzi said. “What I want to make sure they do, if we have a person who is really sick and needs the assistance, transporting them to the hospital is not the answer. Let us go. And it doesn't always mean we're going to take them to the hospital. We'll evaluate them, we’ll do the blood pressure, we’ll check the vital signs, and we'll talk with them and then we'll make a decision if they need to go.”

Dezzi wants to prevent possible injuries or accidents that can occur when a resident tries to personally transport someone to the hospital. He also wants to teach people a little bit about how 911 works, including the importance of staying on the line with the operator.

“It doesn’t mean that the ambulance is not coming or the firefighters are not coming,” Dezzi said. “They're trying to get more information from the caller, so they can pass it on to the fire trucks.”

The talk will begin around 8 a.m. at the Lazy Lobster.

The Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department is hosting a Stop the Bleed training program through the rest of the winter and early spring. The program consists of a one-hour course that will be held four times: Jan. 9, Feb. 10, March 25 and April 14. Each class begins at 10 a.m. at the north fire station, located at 5490 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

A Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department member gives a presentation on controlled bleeding at a Stop the Bleed training session. (Photo courtesy of Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department)

The session will teach people how to pack a wound and use compression or tourniquets to control bleeding. It will consist of a lecture, PowerPoint presentation and hands-on training.

“This training is good for somebody that just cuts themselves while they're in the kitchen,” department liaison and public information officer Tina Adams said. “They trip and fall and land on something and now they've got an injury to something and they need to control that bleeding.”

An attendee learns a technique to control bleeding as Longboat Key Fire Chief Paul Dezzi observes at a Stop the Bleed training session. (Photo courtesy of Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department)

The department has conducted this course for about 20 attendees at Christ Church of Longboat Key as well as its own staff members and those of other town departments, but this is the first time it will be available to the public.

If you are interested, RSVP by calling 941-316-1944 or send an email to TAdams@LongboatKey.org. Space is limited to 12 per class.