Walton EMC Roundup program donates $10,000 to help in WCFR prepare for mass casualty event

It’s something emergency medical responders wished they didn’t have to plan for.

But with the new reality of incidents involving multiple shooting victims, it’s become a necessity.

Fortunately, Walton County Fire Rescue (WCFR) has emerged as a leader in preparing for the unthinkable.

“The old-fashioned way was that law enforcement would wait for SWAT to clear the entire building floor by floor, room by room, before we could enter,” says Lt. John Webster who heads up WCFR’s Stop the Bleed program.

The result was that victims, who could have been saved if responders reached them earlier, were bleeding to death.

Your Operation Round Up program is helping to solve that problem. WCFR received a $10,000 grant to purchase active shooter response kits. These kits include bullet-proof vests and helmets that allow help to reach the victims “in minutes rather than hours,” says Webster.

“Now that law enforcement enters immediately to contain the threat, this gear allows us to enter other parts of the building to get to the victims,” says Webster. Rescuers are now protected while rendering aid.

Stop the Bleed is a campaign to raise the awareness of basic actions to stop life-threatening bleeding following everyday emergencies and manmade and natural disasters.

Advances made during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars provided this knowledge that is now being translated for the benefit of the general public.

As part of the campaign, Webster also teaches schools, businesses, groups and others these lifesaving tactics. For information, contact your local fire rescue organization or visit bleedingcontrol.org.

For more information on Walton County’s training in preparation should any mass casualty event occur, click or tap on this link in the Fall-Winter issue of Walton Living Magazine.