Midlands Air Ambulance trains pupils in bleed control kits
School pupils are being trained to use potentially life-saving bleed control kits in the event of a stabbing.
The training is being delivered by the Midlands Air Ambulance, which said it has seen a "huge increase" in this type of crime. The kits were introduced through a campaign by Lynne Baird after her son, Daniel Baird, 26, was stabbed to death in 2017. The charity said there had been a "lot of interest" from schools. In 2019, Midlands Air Ambulance attended an average of two stabbings per week. Jim Hancox, assistant air operations manager, said 60 schools had booked to undertake the bleed kit training before the end of April. "We know the care people get in the early minutes and seconds after being injured is crucial to their chances of having a good outcome," he said. "Unfortunately the people we see involved in these kinds of injuries are the young people. "Whilst I am sure with the greatest will in the world we wish these cases weren't happening, what we want to be able to do is be able to give them the best chance of having the best outcome and the best chance of survival." The bleed control kits contain items such as a tourniquet, bandages and a foil blanket. One student at Worcester Sixth Form College, who had the training, said: "Any day you can see someone collapse or get hurt, and it is important we know what to do to save their lives or help save their lives." Their teacher, Kim Martin said they want to see all students at the college undergoing the training: "Because they are, unfortunately, more likely to be around these sorts of incidents, to give them those skills so they can go off into the community and help." Mrs Baird has spent years campaigning for the roll-out of the kits that she believes could have prevented her son from dying. "This is something that could possibly save so many lives," she said. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.