Vanderbilt University Medical Center offers free first-aid classes
From car accidents to injuries sustained while cooking or renovating your home, knowing what to do in an emergency can make all the difference.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Vanderbilt University Medical Center is offering free classes to help people learn crucial first-aid skills.
These techniques could be a matter of life or death. From car accidents to injuries sustained while cooking or renovating your home, knowing what to do in an emergency can make all the difference.
“It’s always good to know what to do if someone gets injured,” said Christopher Brown, Vanderbilt’s trauma outreach coordinator. “We were teaching a course with Hands On Nashville, and the very next day, one of the folks that we trained actually used the things they were taught in the class at a car wreck to keep somebody from bleeding to death.”
Brown also pointed out that ambulance response times in Nashville are approximately six to eight minutes. However, it can take just three minutes for someone to bleed to death.
“So it’s really important that we train the public to get involved, intervene in the meantime, and kind of buy time for the paramedic skills,” Brown said.
Through these classes, Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been teaching thousands of people how to control bleeding. The hour-long course is designed to save lives.
“It’s one of those things that you can’t learn in the moment. So knowing ahead of time is really important,” Brown noted.
In addition to offering classes, Vanderbilt has placed bleeding control kits alongside AEDs at various venues around downtown Nashville. Brown stressed that tourniquets can be needed more often than many realize.
“I think most people associate that with violent acts and, you know, shootings and stabbings and things like that, but honestly, you can use the training anywhere. You know, we see car wrecks and falls,” Brown explained.
For those interested in signing up for one of Vanderbilt’s free Stop the Bleed classes, you can do so here:
https://www.vumc.org/trauma-and-scc/stop-bleed-bleeding-control-basics-course
Learning these skills now could be crucial in an emergency, potentially saving lives before professional help arrives.
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