So as her group of Lancaster City Schools teachers and staff practiced wrapping tourniquets on each other, Higgens acknowledged the elephant in the room.
"This is a tough thing to consider and think about, but I'm here today because you've already considered that," she said. "The only solution is to either never leave your house again or to be prepared."
Tuesday's lesson, part of Lancaster City Schools' professional development day, was a part of the national Stop the Bleed campaign. The training aims to arm the public with the knowledge and confidence to react in trauma situations.
Created by the White House in 2015, the campaign was prompted by the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. It was a recommendation of a committee convened by the American College of Surgeons, with the goal of increasing the number of survivors in mass-casualty shootings.
Locally, Central Ohio Trauma System, a network of dozens of hospitals and emergency management agencies, participates in Stop the Bleed initiatives. The group places tourniquet kits in various public locations and offers training sessions to the public.
With more than 200 participants, the district's training group was the largest class ever in central Ohio, Fairfield County Emergency Management Director Jon Kochis said.
Kochis said using tourniquets to stop severe bleeding was once taboo, under the assumption that using one would cause a limb to be amputated. Now, it's considered one of the best methods to save a life.
The district has done smaller group training over the last three years, but there was an increased interest in doing district-wide training this year, said Sarah McGraw-Thimmes, the district's health coordinator.
Because of that interest, every Lancaster City Schools employee will receive a tourniquet to use in case of emergency, Kochis said.
"The health and safety of our students and coworkers is a top priority," McGraw-Thimmes said. "We're giving them a chance to save a life."
Teachers weren't the only ones who received the life-saving training. Administrators, coaches, kitchen staff and janitors throughout the district signed up, as well.
Lancaster firefighters and medics led Tuesday's training, walking participants through the different types of tourniquets someone could use, how to pack a wound with gauze and tips for using the materials on small children.
While it's hard to think about an active shooter situation at school, Higgens said teachers are far more likely to use these skills to help if there's a car crash or an injury in a woodshop class.
Shannon Fish, an art teacher at Lancaster High School, practiced wrapping a tourniquet around the arm of Lee Ann Haight, an administrator of district services. Fish checked in with Haight as she wrapped, asking how she felt and if the wrap was too tight.
"When things go crazy, you'll have this info," Fish said. "The more you know, the more prepared you are."
Lancaster High School health teacher Trent Ball shared the sentiment.
"When there's a situation, whoever gets there first is a first responder," Ball said. "Teachers are first responders."
shendrix@dispatch.com
@sheridan120
———
©2020 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio)
Visit The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) at www.dispatch.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
