A tie can be a tourniquet. So can a belt. Or a shoelace.
A tourniquet can be anything, really, that someone could tie tight enough around an injured person’s arm or leg to stop the bleeding long enough to get them to a hospital, said Dr. Paul Rega, assistant professor in public health at the University of Toledo.
Don’t worry about compound fractures, either, Dr. Rega said. And don’t worry about tying the tourniquet so tight that it hurts the other person. They will survive their circulation being cut off for up to two hours; they might not survive whatever it is that is making them lose so much blood.
“I want you to get past the thinking process,” he said, because the goal instead, is to learn how to act on instinct.
Dr. Rega was part of a presentation Tuesday evening to teach attendees how to prepare and respond in a mass violence incident. The presentation, called “S.T.R.I.V.E. to Survive,” was put together by the University of Toledo in partnership with the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office and took place in the West Toledo library basement.
The event was designed to show people what they can do if they find themselves in the middle of a mass violence incident, such as a shooting, or if they suspect one is about to occur. Sherry Kasiorkiewics, of Toledo, was one of several residents who attended the presentation Tuesday and found it helpful. With as common as mass shootings are, she said, it’s important for people to learn as much as they can to prevent one from happening or help victims afterward.
That the Aug. 4 Dayton shooting occurred in an entertainment district made Ms. Kasiorkiewics think about the possibility of a shooting happening in a similar kind of place in downtown Toledo.
“It’s almost like, not a matter of if it happens, but when,” she said. “And that’s just scary.”
Other attendees also referenced the prevalence of mass shootings as a reason why they wanted to come to the event Tuesday.
“I like to be safe,” said Lottie Kekulah, of Toledo. “I like to know how I can be safe without being afraid.”
Deputy Dan Gutierrez, with the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, said the three human reactions to danger are fight, flight, or freeze. Lots of people, he said, freeze in dangerous situations, and that can be fatal. The only way to control how you react to danger is to train for it.
But there are some ways that people can keep themselves safe while out at the movies or in restaurants, he said. For example, always know where the exits are. And be aware of what could be used as a weapon. In a bar, he said, possible weapons included bar stools, drink glasses, bottles, chairs, or just about anything someone could throw at an attacker.
“We have to flip the script,” Deputy Gutierrez said.
First Published September 4, 2019, 12:29 a.m.
