OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — On Mnday, the Omaha Police Department held a "stop the bleed" training session with area school resource officers to go over life-saving strategies.
Last week the group worked on school shooter tactical training and practiced a simulated active shooter scenario. On Monday, the officers learned how to deal with combat type-injuries including how to pack wounds, using a tourniquet and maintaining a person's airway.
"At a certain point in their career they're going to come across a civilian that is going to need immediate aid and what we're teaching today are skills that go beyond basic CPR," said Shawn Whittington, Jr., a course trainer with 88 Tactical and an Omaha firefighter.
A tourniquet can slow down the bleeding on parts of the body such as limbs. The basic life-saving technique helped saved lives at the two mass-shootings over the weekend.
"No one should die from uncontrollable bleeding," said Lt. Charles Ott, an officer with the Omaha Police Department. "Anybody can be a life saver with some basic skills."
The school resource officers do this training annually. The course trainers said these skills are not important just for the officers, but for others in the school community to know.
"It's critical," Whittington, Jr. said. "Every man, woman, child, professional, civilian needs to have basic life-saving skills."
"People should not die from loss of blood, that's something that can be alleviated really quickly," Ott said.
This weekend's shootings stressed to the officers how important the life saving techniques are. The training is mandatory for Omaha school resource officers each year. According to an Omaha school resource officer, school districts in Omaha are considering training school nurses, administrators and other members of the school community with life saving techniques so they could help out in an active shooter or combat scenario.
