NORFOLK, Va. — In an age where we hear all too often about violence, school shootings and accidents, many people don't want that reality to scare kids. Now, some kids in Hampton Roads are learning how to act in those situations, empowering them to save lives.
Grade-schoolers at the Grandy Village Boys and Girls Club in Norfolk practiced life-saving techniques with the help of Sentara trauma services as part of a "Stop the Bleed" presentation.
"I learned how to save a human being," said Jessiah, a second grader.
"Why is it so important for you guys to learn this?" asked News 3 reporter Erika Craven.
"If one of my family got hurt, I could save them," said Jessiah.
The kids learned how to look for life-threatening bleeding, apply direct pressure, pack wounds and use a tourniquet.
While it's fun right now, the practice is getting the kids ready for all kinds of serious situations.
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"A car accident, school shooting or knives, something like that," explained third grader Armani Lunda.
It's so they feel empowered to help in the critical time someone might wait for emergency services.
According to Stop the Bleed resources, the primary reasons people don't help bleeding victims are that they don't know what to do and they don't want to hurt them.
Instructors said it only takes a short window of time, approximately three to five minutes, before a person can bleed out. That's why they hope to see more people picking up the basics.
"I think it's important to just make sure everyone can play a part in this lifesaving," said Jami Williams, injury prevention coordinator at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. "It's not just people overseas doing combat stopping the bleed. It's us here, it's not just EMS. It's something that everyone can do and apply to themselves."
She also told the kids that in an emergency, it's important to first make sure you're safe before determining if you can help others.
For more information and resources, visit the Stop the Bleed website.
