City and Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services launch public awareness campaign

Mar. 25, 2024, Lethbridge, Alta. – The City of Lethbridge is taking proactive steps to protect community safety by introducing Lethbridge’s first STOP THE BLEED kit at the ENMAX Centre. The number one cause of preventable death after injury is bleeding and someone with a severe injury can bleed to death in as little as five minutes.

“STOP THE BLEED is a public awareness campaign across Canada and the U.S. that stems from the tragic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012,” says Greg Adair, Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES) Chief. “We’ve also recently seen a critical incident with a hockey player in Europe, losing his life to a major bleed. This kit gives us another line of defence if we are ever faced with these types of situations.”

LFES have partnered with ENMAX Centre staff, contractors, and the Lethbridge Hurricanes to provide training on how to use the lifesaving tools within the kit.

The STOP THE BLEED kit includes hemostatic dressings which are ten times more effective than regular gauze for controlling bleeding. The medication on these dressings is derived from shellfish and triggers the clotting action. The kit also includes a tourniquet which can be used for injuries to arms and legs. The tourniquet helps stop the blood flow to that area by squeezing tightly above the wound.

“When managing a major bleed, time is critical,” says Dr. Kirstin Derdall, Department Head of Anesthesia at Chinook Regional Hospital. “This is why it’s so important to have these tools readily available and to have people trained on how to use them. Arenas can be particularly dangerous which is why this is a great place to start with these kits.”

The STOP THE BLEED kit at the ENMAX Centre is located on the ice level of the facility, next to the automated external defibrillator (AED).

“The reality of hockey is that we play at high speeds and on sharp blades,” says Matt Anholt, Assistant General Manager and Coach for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. “We’ve seen tragedies like this happen before and we want to be ready if something like that were to happen here. We are extremely grateful to have this new kit and to have received the training from our local emergency services crew so we can best protect our team.”

LFES is looking to expand this project to include kits at other City facilities and partner with organizations interested in adding STOP THE BLEED kits across Lethbridge. The certified STOP THE BLEED trainers at LFES are also available to help educate the public on how to use the kits.

In addition to STOP THE BLEED training, LFES also recently delivered training at the ENMAX Centre for hands only CPR and the use of the on-site AED.

“Coming in to provide education on the STOP THE BLEED kits also created the opportunity to do a refresher on other lifesaving strategies,” says Chief Adair. “Cardiac arrest is another very real risk in a recreation facility like the ENMAX Centre and knowing the simple steps of hands only CPR and how to use an AED could absolutely save a life.”