In a new regular column, we ask some of the people involved in citizenAID to explain their motivations for being involved with the charity. First up is citizenAID trustee, Matt Fernley. When I joined the citizenAID charity as a trustee I was the only one of the core group that was neither a medic or a member of the armed forces (or both). In fact, I’ve never had any medical training whatsoever, so why is someone like me in an organisation like this, trying to teach people first aid? Well, I suppose it all goes back to the days after the 7/7 bombings in London in 2005. Like most Londoners I use public transport to get to and from work and like most Londoners I decided that I wasn’t going to l

Brigadier Tim Hodgetts CBE, one of the founders of citizenAID, explains the significance of citizenAID's schools' product. We are fortunate in the UK that deliberate attacks on schools resulting in multiple casualties are extraordinarily rare, in contrast to the experience in some countries and most notably the USA. Yet recent deliberate attacks in UK have still involved children and young adults, with the bomb attack at Manchester Arena in 2017 coinciding with a pop concert appealing to this age group. Our children and young adults are therefore exposed to threats of harm, even though it is a small numerical risk. But this should not prevent us from ensuring they are prepared, rather than s

Brigadier Tim Hodgetts CBE, one of the Founders of citizenAID and the inventor of the Tourni-Key, explains why it is so important. The Tourni-Key is a simple idea. It is designed to provide an affordable tourniquet option for public use, by improvising with a strip of material that is commonly available - a tie, a thin scarf, or a triangular bandage. But hang on, you ask, is this really a problem that needs solving? Well unfortunately it is. First, however, you have to understand an unpalatable reality. When there is an active security threat - a gunman or a knife attacker - the first priority of the police responding to a call for help is public safety. This means locking down the incident,

The founders explain the history behind citizenAID, which has received charitable funding from The British Medical Association. Read about this on the following British Medical Association website https://www.bma.org.uk/news/2017/june/bma-funds-life-saving-skills-charity

The Tourni-Key is a simple idea. It is to provide an affordable tourniquet option for public use, by improvising with a strip of material that is commonly available - a tie, a thin scarf, or a triangular bandage. But hang on, is this really a problem that needs solving? Well unfortunately it is. First, however, you have to understand an unpalatable reality. When there is an active security threat - a shooter, or a knife attacker - the first priority of the police responding to a call for help is public safety. This means locking down the incident, then finding - and neutralising - the threat. Treating the injured is not the priority when the threat is still present. This should not be a grea

citizenAID is excited to announce the official launch of the Tourni-Key. Available via recommended suppliers from 19th February 2018, the Tourni-Key has been designed and manufactured by citizenAID to help the public save lives of those with severe limb bleeding after a deliberate attack. Military evidence is categorical in demonstrating the value of a tourniquet to control severe bleeding from limbs where wound packing and pressure is ineffective. Indeed, the lives of many soldiers have been saved following blast and gunshot injury since tourniquets were made widely available to them in 2006. Recent events have proven the desire of the public to provide treatment until the emergency service

Professor of clinical traumatology, Sir Keith Porter emphasises the necessity of empowering the public to deliver immediate lifesaving first aid.

Many people across the country have prepared themselves to know what to do when someone collapses with a heart attack. But being able to act effectively after serious injury from bomb blast, gunshot and stabbing requires different knowledge and skills. Quick actions in these situations, particularly to stop bleeding, will save lives. The citizenAID Pocket Guide is a clear and simple series of immediate actions. YOU can be the person to provide information to the emergency services, to help organise others at the scene and to give life-saving care while waiting for the professionals to arrive. Be prepared. Learn the system. YOU can save lives.

Any medical emergency, whether after a car crash, sporting injury or at worst case when you are drawn into a terrorist attack may ultimately need quick thinking on how to stop bleeding, fast! How do you do this? The Tourniquet is a well proven method to stem the flow of blood but if you do not have a medical kit to had how can you do this? citizenAID is now planning to launch a high quality, cost effective and accessible to all innovative Tourni-Key which used in conjucntion with your scarf or tie gives you the winding and locking mechanism to stop the flow of blood in minutes. Make contact by emailing us on info@citizenaid.org and let us know if you would to be kept informed as this product

A new innovation from citizenAID in 2018 is Tourni-Key and any new innovation requires new and innovative manufacturing methods and processes to deliver on expectations. To achieve CE accreditation we need to ensure our products meet the exacting quality assurance demands to give you a quality product that will deliver when called upon during any medical emergency. citizenAID is investing in the production of Tourni-Key by recruiting the services of a QUALITY approved injection moulding manufacturing company right here in the UK. Investing in British quality approved manufacturing is important to us, states citizenAID Director Matt Fernley and we hope to see this British product not only ser

The citizenAID team along with representatives from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office demonstrated to Victoria Derbyshire on the BBC news show how easy it is to apply a Tourniquet to a persons leg with household items. No need for expensive medical kits and just a few everyday items would do the job. This simulation made reference to the winding device or "windlass" being replaced by improvised household tools such as a wooden spoon, scissors, or a screwdriver. But as Victoria asked in this video, "What if you do not have a spoon?" citizenAID now have an answer to that and its called Tourni-Key. Used along with a scarf or tie as demonstrated in the video this key is strong enoug

Watch the video, in which Zed is treated for a heavy bleed.Use the information below the video to remind yourself how to help someone who is bleeding heavily. https://youtu.be/BQRqUxB5pn0

A free Executive Briefing will be supported by citizenAID on the 6th February in York to help stress the message: Run, Hide, Tell and Treat The event facilitated by Toni Eastwood OBE of Beyond 2030 Ltd, and Paul Basson of PBPS Ltd will be held at The Gate House Waterfulford Hall, York, YO19 4RG. citizenAID Director, Peter Joyce who has also been trained by the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) as a GRIFFIN self delivery facilitator said: “It’s essential that people not only understand the Metropolitan Police and NaCTSO message of Run, Hide and Tell but also the citizenAID message of Treat (If you can). We know from experience that the emergency services will not be able to

A pre launch demonstration of Tourni-Key was given in York to local executives representing universities, the music industry and former Met police. The executive briefing attempted to demonstrate the relationship between pre incident actions which can be taken to reduce the risks we all now face through: Prevent, Protect and Prepare However if people found themselves in a future Terror event key guidance from the Met Police was shared to Run, Hide and Tell. Finally the CitizenAID message of Treat was given to explain that if they can they should extend the Met advice to Run, Hide, Tell and Treat. A demonstration was given in parallel to several teams to consider how a Tourniquet could be set

by Katie Clement Monday, February 12th 2018 Garland County (KATV) — A Garland County deputy has been credited with saving a man's life after he used a tourniquet to stop a citizen from bleeding profusely. Officials say Deputy Morgan's application of the tourniquet stopped critical blood loss, allowing time for EMS to arrive on the scene and transport the citizen to a local hospital. On January 26, just before 1:00 a.m., the Garland County 911 center received a call from a citizen who was cut on the arm and bleeding continuously, according to the Sheriff's office. When Deputy Morgan arrived on scene, he entered the residence and found an unresponsive citizen on the floor. Morgan quickly

In the aftermath of Wednesday's mass shooting at a Florida high school, the emergency medicine community is once again thinking about how to improve disaster preparedness as it waits for more details to be made available on how peers responded to the tragedy that left 17 dead. That's not to say that medical professionals failed in Broward County: a semiautomatic AR-15 assault rifle causes "a crazy amount of damage in a human body," said Michael Redlener, MD, of Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Roosevelt Hospitals in New York City. Still, in the past decade, the emergency medicine community has been working to overhaul responses in order to keep up with the tide of mass shootings. Notably, the Amer

In anticipation of the Q1 2018 launch of Tourni-Key from citizenAID our manufacturing processes are now gearing up to bring an initial 10,000 products to the market. If you are interested in Tourni-Key email us on info@citizenaid.org. Interest is already high after attendance at the internationally respected Defence and Security show at DSEI in 2017.

citizenAID is delighted to announce it has been shortlisted for the Counter Terrorism Education Project Award in the Counter Terror Awards 2018. The tragic and reprehensible series of contemporary deliberate attacks has forced communities to act: as a direct result, increasingly sophisticated strategies and technologies are being employed by organisations worldwide. The Counter Terror Awards have been established to recognise the efforts of both public and private sector organisations, which contribute to the counter terror strategy across the UK and overseas. This includes the vital roles played by the military and emergency services in mitigating terrorist threats. The Counter Terrorism Ed