Carlsbad CA— Sometimes the difference between life and death can be less than five minutes. And in the case of an injury that causes severe bleeding, that is especially true.
A donation of $11,875 to the City of Carlsbad Fire Department will help reduce this life-and-death margin, as the money will go toward the purchase of Stop the Bleed Kits, also known as trauma bags. These kits contain emergency medical supplies and special tools that can control bleeding during the critical initial minutes after a person is injured.
The donation was made by the Carlsbad Fire Department Foundation, which raised the $11,875 toward the purchase 34 five-pack Stop the Bleed Kits. The Carlsbad Fire Department will distribute the kits to go alongside 34 defibrillators at 20 of the city’s public facilities.
Carlsbad Fire Department paramedics can reach people who need trauma care within an average of four to five minutes, so medical attention is that close for Carlsbad residents. However, traumatic injuries resulting from traffic accidents, falls, or violence can sometimes result in death before those four or five minutes elapse.
Division Chief Mike Lopez of the Carlsbad Fire Department said the Stop the Bleed Kits will add another tool to the city’s lifesaving tool kit.
“We’re not the first responders. The public is,” Lopez said. “No matter how rapid the arrival of emergency responders, bystanders will always be first on scene. We want to train people to help stop the bleeding. With these kits we give them the equipment to help do that.”
Lopez noted that research has shown that bystanders, with little or no medical training, can save people’s lives by stopping bleeding.
Each Stop the Bleed Kit contains:

• Compressed gauze
• Trauma dressings
• Effective tourniquets
• Personal protective gloves
• A quick litter for moving injured casualties

The kits will be made available at the following city facilities, alongside defibrillators already in place:

• Carlsbad City Library Learning Center
• Alga Norte Community Park (4 kits)
• Calavera Hills Community Center
• Carlsbad Senior Center (2)
• Chase Field
• Georgina Cole Library
• City Council Chamber (2)
• Carlsbad City Library
• City of Carlsbad Faraday Center (2)
• Carlsbad Fleet Operations facility
• Harding Community Center
• Housing and Neighborhood Services
• Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park (3)
• Monroe Street Pool
• Poinsettia Community Park
• Carlsbad Public Works Department offices
• City of Carlsbad Public Safety and Service Center (3)
• Stagecoach Community Park (3)
• City of Carlsbad Safety Training Center (3)
• Carlsbad Municipal Water District offices

Lopez said the city will train city employees on how to use the kits.
“If we can get those nearest to the individual with life threatening injuries, then they’re best positioned to render first aid and control the bleeding before we get there,” he said.
The Carlsbad Fire Department Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises funds to enhance fire and rescue services, educate the public and provide scholarships for dependents of Carlsbad firefighters and paramedics.
The total cost of the 34 Stop the Bleed Kits is $17,875. The foundation’s donation of $11,875 will cover the majority of the cost, and the Carlsbad Fire Department will pay the $6,000 remainder from its operating budget.