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Ky. EMS teaches cops to treat combat casualties

The training includes how to clear airways and detect and stop bleeding; gunshot woulds and vehicle strikes are the top causes of death for police officers in the U.S.

The Advocate Messenger

BOYLE COUNTY, Ky. — A chunk of meat has no pulse and can’t scream in pain, but slice it down the center and soak it in fake blood and it’s an excellent way to teach officers how to stop gunshot wound bleeding.

“Probe around in there until you feel a pulse and pack it to the bone,” Aaron Stamper, deputy director of operations for Boyle County Emergency Medical Service, said as Deputy Sheriff Kyle Lyons practiced wound packing. “It’s gonna hurt; tell your buddy or yourself to suck it up.”

Blood stinks, it’s sticky, and a small amount quickly fills the inside of a car, Stamper explained, but knowing how to detect and stop bleeding is the difference between life and death.

Read full story: Boyle County EMS teaches cops to survive combat casualties