UAB offering Stop The Bleed program to community

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Violent crime is at an all-time high around the country, including right here in Birmingham.

BPD investigated 134 murders in 2022, including 10 they call justifiable. Many of the homicides are from traumatic injury, like a gunshot wound.

A local doctor is reminding the community that you never know when you could be the difference between someone living or dying, so it’s best to be prepared.

Dr. Jeffrey Kerby with UAB said a lot of the preventable deaths that occur are from blood loss. He’s the division of trauma and acute care surgery director.

If you or someone around you gets shot, the first thing you should do is call 911. While first responders are on the way, there are steps you can take to help prevent the worst outcome. Dr. Kerby says that includes putting pressure on the wound to help stop much of the bleeding. If possible, he adds getting ahold of a tourniquet could be the best option.

“So it looks kind of like a belt but it’s a specific device that can be tightened, can be strapped down, and then it can be twisted,” he explained. “There’s a rod on it, you can twist it down that tightens that belt around the extremity of the limb -- the arm, the leg. Again, above the site of bleeding and you can tighten it down to where the blood flow to that bleeding site stops.”

To learn the best practices and potentially help save someone’s life, Dr. Kerby recommends taking a Stop the Bleed course with UAB. He says the class is free and you’ll also be able to purchase a Stop The Bleed kit you can keep in your home or car.

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