The Willowbrook Shopping Centre is a busy place and hundreds of people pass through the lobby to do their shopping every day. On the right hand wall as you enter, next to the defibrillator, sits a small red box.
Inside the box are a variety of dressings, gloves and a tourniquet, providing what is needed to stop traumatic bleeding. The kit is designed to save a life in the event of a stabbing wound and provide comprehensive assistance in managing severe bleeding until emergency services arrive.
Ten of these bleed kits have been donated by the RRT (Rapid Relief Team) in Bristol.
Does this mean that knife crime is likely at Willowbrook? Not necessarily. These bleed kits are essential for a variety of emergencies, such as road traffic collisions, industrial incidents, trauma-related injuries at work or home, as well as knife-related incidents. In critical bleeding situations, time is of the essence, and having readily accessible and visible bleed kits can make a life-saving difference. The goal of RRT and Avon & Somerset Police is to ensure that as many of these life-saving kits are available throughout the community.
Geoff Biggs, a RRT volunteer who works at nearby Aztec West, said: “In donating these bleed kits, RRT is making a connection with the community where I live and work, it demonstrates the commitment of RRT to saving life and the Christian values of care and compassion to persons in need. It has the potential to really make a difference to someone in a crisis situation. I’m really glad to be involved in this initiative.”
The Rapid Relief Team is a global organisation dedicated to providing care and compassion to persons in need. To find out more visit rrtglobal.org/gb