“In 3-5 minutes, you can bleed out and die.” That’s the warning from Carl Scott, co-founder of Project Youth, knife crime campaigner, and former gang member in the UK.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, knife violence has been on the rise around the world since 2014 with knives/sharp objects involved in 22% of all homicides as of 2017.

Until this violence can be curtailed, it is critical for emergency medical responders to be trained to quickly control bleeding by packing a wound properly or applying a tourniquet correctly.

The Times (UK) recently interviewed Carl about his community-based bleeding control initiative. He discusses the impact quick bleeding control actions can have on saving lives.

Medical simulation devices, such as Luna Labs’ TrueClot® task trainers, simulated blood, and simulated hemostatic dressings, are being used by Carl and EMTs around the world for lifelike bleeding control training.  The TrueClot wound packing trainer is in action at a community first aid training event at 2:00 – 2:20.

Carl’s going one step further. He’s working to place bleeding control kits in public “hotspots” across the UK where violent crimes are likely to happen. The goal is to empower citizens to step in to help control bleeding until medical professionals arrive.

In the US, you can prepare yourself to help stop a critical bleeding injury by visiting Stop the Bleed Coalition.