By Clark Judge
(June 30, 2025) — Thanks to the Killingworth Ambulance Association, a litany of public places — including the town library, Town Hall and several parks — have AEDs and “Stop the Bleed (STB)” stations to treat unexpected emergencies. But that list now extends to Deer Lake, which hosted CPR and “STB” classes the past two weeks.
And that’s an important step.
That’s because the KAA last year agreed not to subsidize “STB” stations at Deer Lake until individuals there were trained. Well, that just happened — with an estimated 55-60 counselors and directors from its summer day camp taking classes. With 25-30 more left to train, “STB” stations can’t be far behind … and they aren’t.
The KAA has said it will donate twenty kits to Deer Lake.
“We tried to have this last year,” said Deer Lake director Jenn Carroll, “but we were a little bit overwhelmed. We wanted to make this happen because we value training, and we want (our staff) to be prepared and have as many tools in their tool kit as possible.”
They should now.
With a one-hour presentation last week, camp personnel were taught how to recognize the No. 1 cause of death — i.e., life-threatening bleeding — as well as how to respond by 1) applying direct pressure, 2) packing the wound and 3) employing tourniquets two to three inches above an injury. Three times during the instruction, counselors and directors were asked to break into two groups, where members practiced treatments on a rubber wound simulator.
All had little trouble with the heuristic exercise.
“They were engaged and asked good questions,” said the KAA’s Mary Robbenhaar-Fretz. “The majority did a great job.”
Students were reminded that bleeding emergencies demand that they can … and should … use whatever is available to staunch a serious wound — including rags and clothing. In fact, that happened at the 2013 Boston Marathon where three people were killed and hundreds wounded. Some victims, instructors said, incurred wounds that were treated with T-shirts worn at the event.
That seemed to resonate with their listeners, who expressed gratitude for the lesson.
“I learned the steps for ‘Stop the Bleed,’ not just the general idea of it, to save a life,” said Price Savini, a counselor who will enroll this fall at the University of Florida. “I know how to keep myself safe, and I’m happy that I can help people.”
Standing nearby, counselor Aidas Sullivan agreed.
“I think this is a good practice to know,” he said, “in case anything happens.”
As a matter of fact, something did. That was last year, and, granted, it was a freak accident. Nevertheless, Carroll said an individual suffered an injury that required 12 stitches to close — precisely the kind of wound where “STB” training would have been helpful.
Well, now it can be.
“I thought the course was very interesting,” said waterfront director Lena Rimmer, a former Deer Lake camper and counselor. “I love it when we do something that you can take to other places — like talking about all types of situations where this can be important.”
Afterward, free “STB” kits were donated to counselors and directors from Killingworth — a gesture applauded by Rimmer, who enters her senior year this fall at Dickinson College.
“I thought that was awesome,” she said of the kit. “It’s a tourniquet, some gauze, a Sharpie, gloves, a little information packet and Quikclot Mesh … and I’m going to take it to school with me. In fact, I’m going to try to take it everywhere, just in case.”
“Stop the Bleed” is a nationwide awareness campaign (STOP THE BLEED – Save a Life | Stop The Bleed) launched in 2015 by the White House and Department of Homeland Security. It is designed to empower bystanders with the training necessary to deal with traumatic events and emergency bleeding situations before help arrives.
The value of the course was underscored in October, 2019, when a state trooper responding to an accident at Middletown’s Vinal Technical High School implemented a “Stop the Bleed” kit to treat what was termed “a catastrophic injury” that involved profuse bleeding.
Officials later said quick thinking by the state trooper may have saved the victim’s life.
Photos by Clark Judge
