The Pittsburgh Pirates have partnered with Allegheny Heath Network (AHN) Trauma Centers' Trauma Prevention Community Outreach Program and Highmark to offer "Stop the Bleed" training to 240 staff and to install QuickClot® bleeding control kits to enhance safety throughout PNC Park.
This "Stop the Bleed" training will teach valuable first-aid skills to all game day supervisors at PNC Park. The addition will prove to be an added enhancement to the measures already in place to ensure the safety of Pirates fans and everyone who enters the ballpark.
The QuickClot Bleeding Control Bags (BCB) will be placed in publicly accessible locations throughout PNC Park as each contains life-saving bleeding control equipment that will be readily available to staff; giving staff the power to treat multiple injuries should an event occur.
This orange, high-visibility backpack lays flat when opened, and has internal mesh pockets for quick identification of the medical components. With convenient carry options and weighing less than ten pounds, the BCB can be easily worn or transported to any location, treating up to 18 bleeding injuries. The bags include nitrate gloves, shears, tourniquets, QuickClot hemostatic dressings, and more.
"Regardless of how close emergency crews are to the scene of an accident or emergency situation, bystanders can make a difference in outcomes, and even prevent death when it comes to blood loss," said Dr. Allan Philip, medical director of Allegheny General Hospital Level One Shock Trauma Center. "Twenty percent of people who have died from traumatic injuries could have survived with fast bleeding control. Stop the Bleed is an important, nation-wide campaign to educate the public on the proper ways to help stop the blood flow of a wound under a variety of circumstances. We are pleased to partner with the Pirates on this, who are among the first professional sports venues in the nation to complete this training and install BCBs."
Through a grant provided by Highmark, AHN has trained 3,000 teachers, students, law enforcement officers, emergency medical staff, and healthcare professionals in their "Stop the Bleed" program to date, with additional trainings scheduled for security staff at Highmark stadium, Monroeville municipal staff, Gateway School District, and Pennsylvania state police this spring.