Co-Founder of citizenAID, Brigadier Tim Hodgetts, has recently presented a talk to the St. John Ambulance Society at the University of Essex, entitled “Immediate Actions in the event of a Terror Attack”.
Dedicated to providing first aid training to the University’s campus community, the St. John Ambulance Society works hard to support the charity’s mission by equipping Essex students with life-saving skills.
Due to the unfortunate increase in deliberate attacks across the UK, particularly in 2017 alone, the Society invited citizenAID to host a dedicated talk on how first aiders should respond effectively in the event of a terrorist incident.
Tim opened his presentation with an overview of how the citizenAID initiative was founded, and the vital role it has and will continue to play in helping the public ‘Be Prepared and Not Scared’ in the event of a terrorist incident, whilst ensuring as many people as possible have the skills necessary to save those injured in the unlikely but possible event of a deliberate attack.
He explained: “In the event of a terrorist incident, be it a bombing or mass shooting, there is always a short delay before medical professionals arrive, which for people with life threatening bleeding, can be the crucial determinant of life or death.
“citizenAID not only tells people how to react in the event of a firearms or knife incident with the ‘Run, Hide, Tell’ message, but it empowers the public to effectively ‘Treat’ the injured, whether you have equipment of you have to improvise, significantly improving chances of survival. The citizenAID system is an ‘all hazard’ approach to deliberate attacks: there is advice on how to react when there is an unexploded or exploded bomb, and the approach is equally relevant to attacks with a vehicle used as a weapon.”
As trained first aiders, the St. John Ambulance Society were particularly interested in citizenAID’s innovation, the Tourni-Key, which has been designed to help the public successfully treat life-threatening limb bleeding. The Tourni-Key works to convert readily available items of clothing (or a simple triangular bandage), such as a scarf or tie, into an effective, low cost tourniquet.
Tim finished: “We are grateful for the opportunity to spread the citizenAID message through the St John Society and the university. This complements a growing movement to involve and empower university students with the skills that are proven to save lives after severe injury.”
To find out more about the citizenAID app, download it for FREE via the App Store or Google Play. Alternatively, to purchase the pocket guide from one of citizenAID’s recommended suppliers, please click here.
