Thanks to instruction from the Corpus Christi Fire Department, the sophomore class at Ray High School is now trained to treat injured people in the event of an emergency.
On Thursday morning, the Corpus Christi Fire Department gave a hands-on demonstration showing how to assist a person who is severely bleeding. Nearly 500 Ray High School sophomores watched and learned how to ‘Stop the Bleed.’
After a brief PowerPoint instruction, students became experts in applying a tourniquet to a victim of an emergency. They also learned how to treat and pack wounds.
“I learned how to treat a gash wound,” said Benito Cantu, a Ray sophomore. “You have to apply gauze, you have to wrap it around, and you have to apply as much pressure as possible.”
Corpus Christi Fire Department Captain Thomas Cruz says Thursday morning’s training was the first time the department teamed up with a CCISD school to train students.
“What we want to do is protect our kids. We want to be proactive instead of reactive,” Cruz said. “God forbid something does happen, we want the kids to be ready, and to be able to take care of themselves.”
With three more years of high school remaining for them, these students believe the ‘Stop the Bleed’ training comes at an important time.
“There have been so many tragic accidents, like school shootings,” Ray student Sophia Wigington said. “And you want to be able to help your fellow students if they’re bleeding.”
“With everything that’s going on outside of school and in the world today, I think we should all know basically how to do this,” Cantu said.
The Corpus Christi Fire Department is aiming for a ‘Stop the Bleed’ demonstration packet in every classroom at Ray. The fire department also hopes to train students at other CCISD schools in the future.
