For over two years, the Killingworth Ambulance Association has offered “Stop the Bleed” courses to the community – stressing the importance of knowing how to deal with traumatic events and emergency bleeding situations before help arrives.

Now we know why.

There was an accident last week at Vinal Tech High School in Middletown where a teacher nearly lost his hand after it was stuck in a wood planer. The instructor was rushed immediately to an area hospital to be treated for what was termed a “catastrophic injury,” involving arterial bleeding and partial amputation.

But the damage could have been far worse were it not for a state trooper who was equipped with a “Stop the Bleed” kit. That officer was identified as Trooper Alejandro Bugatti, who is the school’s resource officer, and he was applauded for quick thinking that, state police said, may have saved the victim’s life.

How?

Read the Hartford Courant’s account of the incident here:

https://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-br-vinal-tech-teacher-arm-injury-20191022-me6v4udjhnfmfkuxwbfwbrlzom-story.html

(Pictured left to right: Dan Siegel, Mark Clifton and Lisa Anderson)

Dan Siegel, Lisa Anderson and Mark Clifton were honored at the Killingworth Ambulance Association’s annual banquet last weekend for their service as EMTs over the past year.

The three were the top responders among the KAA’s EMTs, with Siegel answering the most calls, Anderson second and Clifton third. In fact, Siegel – an active member of the KAA since 2007 — was involved in nearly half the calls, responding to 156 of the 329, or 47 percent.

Anderson answered 133 and Clifton 130.

All are among the top responders each year, with Clifton leading the KAA in 2017-18 and Anderson second.

“They are always near the top in calls taken,” said KAA president Dan O’Sullivan. “They have all responded to over a third of all calls for emergency medical assistance in Killingworth in the last year – with Dan responding to almost half. That is amazing.

“They carry out their responsibilities with great pride and professionalism. This is a volunteer activity, and the amount of personal time and energy – along with the effect on their families for this level of response – shows an outstanding commitment to helping all the citizens of Killingworth.

“Calls can take two to three hours and occur at all hours of the day and night. The ambulance association deeply thanks all volunteers … but especially these three, who have gone so far and above the call of duty. Please join me in thanking them personally if you know them or see them.”

The annual banquet, held at La Foresta, was attended by KAA board members, EMTs, representatives of the Killingworth Volunteer Fire Company, neighboring ambulance associations involved in Mutual Aid with the KAA, town officials and retired EMT service providers.

“All of these people, with their time, dedication and sacrifice, are critical,” said O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan and Zach Skalandunas were also honored for their years of service. Each has been an EMT the past five years.

The KAA’s James Fretz (l) and Killingworth First Selectwoman Cathy Iino (r) stand next to the “Stop the Bleed” station installed at Town Hall.

When the Killingworth Ambulance Association approached First Selectwoman Cathy Iino about installing a “Stop the Bleed” station in Town Hall, she never wavered with a decision.

“I would say it was a no-brainer,” she said.

Now it’s more than that. It’s a done deal.

For the second time in eight days the KAA on Thursday afternoon placed a bleeding control station in one of Killingworth’s public spaces. But unlike the first installation — which happened Aug. 9 in the Killingworth library – this one comes with a back story that involves Town Hall.

In fact, it involves Cathy Iino.

She and other Town Hall employees took a “Stop the Bleed” course in May, 2018, with Iino putting the lesson into practice this spring when she lacerated her right thumb with a kitchen knife on a cutting board. The accident involved bleeding, demanded immediate medical attention and required stitches.

In short, everything she learned in class.

“I cut myself quite seriously after that class,” she said, “so I almost … without thinking … knew to do the compression and elevation and get medical treatment quite fast.”

“Stop the Bleed” is a nationwide awareness campaign (www.bleedingcontrol.org) launched in 2015 by the White House and Department of Homeland Security and is designed to empower bystanders with the training to deal with traumatic events and emergency bleeding situations before help arrives.

The KAA first offered “Stop the Bleed” classes in July, 2017, making Killingworth the first Connecticut town to have its citizens certified. Since that time it has conducted 21 classes, with another scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Killingworth Ambulance Association on Route 81.

The class lasts one hour and is free and open to the public.

The KAA first offered bleeding control stations this month, with the KAA’s James Fretz installing the storage cases at the Killingworth library and Town Hall. Each case contains seven “Stop the Bleed” kits to treat traumatic blood loss, and each kit includes a tourniquet, gauze, quick-clot and gloves.

The KAA hopes to install more stations in the near future.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Iino said, “because we all took the ‘Stop the Bleed’ training, and we understand that time is of the essence – and that, therefore, the quicker we can take action the better.”

(The KAA’s James Fretz is pictured shortly after installing the first “Stop the Bleed” bleeding control station at the Killingworth library).

For the past two years the Killingworth Ambulance Association has made “Stop the Bleed” classes available to the town. Now, it’s gone a step farther.

It installed its first bleeding control station.

The location is the Killingworth library, and the site makes sense for two reasons: 1) It is a public gathering spot for people of all ages, and 2) the library hosted a “Stop the Bleed” class last year. In fact, it was because of that class that library director Laurie Prichard – who attended the one-hour session – was interested in having a bleeding control station installed.

“It’s for the safety of our patrons,” she said. “With everything that’s going on today you want to make sure that, if someone needs help, you can provide it.”

And the library can. The station is located on the wall immediately behind the library’s front desk, with at least one staff member who attended last year’s “Stop the Bleed” class always available. Assembled Wednesday by the KAA’s James Fretz, the storage case contains seven “Stop the Bleed” kits to treat traumatic blood loss – with each including a tourniquet, gauze, quick-clot and gloves.

The “Stop the Bleed” campaign, launched in 2015 by the White House and Department of Homeland Security, is designed to equip persons with the training to deal with emergency bleeding situations and with the tools to save lives. In fact, Killingworth two summers ago became the first town in Connecticut to have its citizens certified in the program, with 19 completing the course.

Until now, the KAA has continued that campaign through a series of free instructions, including one scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9. But with the installation of its first emergency station in a public venue, it has expanded the program – hoping that others follow the lead of the Killingworth library.

“I’d recommend it,” Prichard said, “because you don’t know what could happen, and you don’t want to be in a position when someone you care about didn’t get the help they needed because one of these wasn’t available.”