Essex fire service rolls out life-saving bleed prevention kits

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) is rolling out life-saving bleed prevention kits across 14 fire stations to help firefighters give injured people better emergency care.

The bleed kits will be installed at the following fire stations: Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Canvey Island, Chelmsford, Colchester, Waltham Abbey, Harlow, Maldon, Rayleigh, Southend, Clacton, Grays and Stansted.

Two of the bleed kits have been funded by Julie Taylor. Julie is a campaigner whose grandson, Liam Taylor, was tragically killed in Writtle in 2020. Julie set-up The Liam Taylor Legacy in his memory.

The bleed kit in Chelmsford was funded by four-year old, Olivia Carey, who ran 10k to raise money for the kit. The bleed kit in Southend was funded by Daniel Johnson who ran the London Marathon.

The bleed kits – containing a trauma dressing, a chest seal, a pack bandage, a tourniquet, gloves, scissors, a foil blanket, and a mouthguard for giving CPR – give firefighters and staff the tools they need to treat injuries and prevent people from entering hypovolemic shock or even dying from blood loss.

In an emergency, the public will be able to access the bleed kits by simply calling 999 and the Control Room Operators will be able to advise on how to access the kit.

“Having Public Access Bleed Kits at 14 of our fire stations is a fantastic step forward in community safety.

“These life-saving kits provide essential tools to help control severe bleeding in emergencies, buying precious time until professional medical help arrives. By making these kits accessible, we are empowering the public to act quickly and effectively, potentially saving countless lives in critical situations.”

Karl Edwards, Director of Corporate Services for ECFRS.

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “The PFCC has long worked in partnership with Julie Taylor. She is an inspiration, she is dedicated and works tirelessly, and it is no understatement to say her work is of the utmost importance to driving down deaths from knife crime in Essex. 

“We’re pleased to work collaboratively with The Liam Taylor Legacy and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service in the placing of these kits. We recognise fire stations are a community asset and by placing these life-saving kits we are increasing the capability of the stations, and highly-trained and dedicated firefighters, to keep Essex communities safe and secure.”

Julie Taylor said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to Essex County Fire and Rescue Service for honouring Liam’s legacy, and all the others that were taken too soon.

“By working together, we can stop knife and violent crime and create a safer Essex.”

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