The forgotten heroes of the Manchester Bombing highlight the need for onsite Plan and Preparedness Kits
The inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing, following a deliberate attack at an Ariana Grande concert on May 22ndMay 2017, has started to hear evidence about the response efforts by emergency services on the night, where 23 people died and 800 were wounded.
However, the many brave members of public who chose to help rather than run believe they have been overlooked and forgotten. Many survivors, who were left injured and bleeding inside the arena, have stated they would not be alive today, had it not for been for the quick-thinking bravery of the ‘zero responders’ who helped.
Without any onsite first aid equipment readily available at the arena and emergency services on standby until the scene was secured, those who came to help became first responders. They had to act quickly and use their own knowledge and integrity to try and stop the injured from losing their lives.
Daren Buckley was attending the concert with his disabled son and leaving through the foyer when the bomb was detonated.
He ran towards the blast, desperately pulling t-shirts off merchandise stands and throwing them to the injured fans to use as bandages.
Daren asked if he could get into a first aid room for gloves and bandages but was told all the doors had been locked. With no help coming, Daren helped to carry injured fans out of the foyer and down towards Victoria Station where medical teams were waiting.
One of the injured Daren helped was 10-year-old Jaden Farrell-Mann, who had been struck with shrapnel. Both of her legs were broken and Daren used a t-shirt to tourniquet her legs before she was carried out on a chair to a waiting ambulance.
Rob Grew was in a nearby shop when he heard the explosion and ran towards the noise to help. Rob decided to stay rather than flee to safety after seeing the sight of a mother and daughter lying on the floor screaming. Luckily, Rob had some first aid training.
"Where do you start with someone who has multiple holes in their torso and legs? I think the only thing I remembered was compression - try and stop the bleeding - and CPR,” Rob told the BBC.
Rob said there was never enough medical assistance inside the foyer that night and his focus was on getting people out to where help was waiting. He moved on from administering makeshift tourniquets and bandages to making makeshift stretchers out of dismantled tables and T-shirt stands. He waited until the last injured person was taken away in an ambulance.
Kim Dick and her husband Phil were in the arena foyer waiting to collect their daughter and granddaughter when the blast blew Kim off her feet.
As she got back onto her feet, a young 14 year old girl, Freya, staggered towards her and collapsed in her arms. To stop Freya chocking on the blood seeping from her mouth, Kim knew she had to keep Freya upright and conscious.
Kim and Phil helped another young girl, Aliya, who had gained horrific injuries to her leg. Kim asked her to sit down and continued to keep both children conscious by talking and reassuring. With no help in sight, they too made a makeshift stretcher to carry the girls out of the arena to safety.
The lack of onsite first aid facilities and the amount of time it took emergency services to get to the arena highlights just how vital it is to have time critical emergency medical supplies installed in venues such as the Manchester Arena.
A trauma victim can bleed to death in five minutes, often before even the quickest of emergency services can arrive at the scene. Had it not been for the bravery of the members of public, many more lives would undoubtedly have been lost that night.
At TyTek Medical, we offer Bleeding Control Stations, which contain eight Bleeding Control Kits. Along with entertainment and sports venues, these can be wall mounted in shopping centers, schools, transport hubs, hotels, houses of worship and corporate buildings.
Click here for more information: Bleeding Control Station | TyTek Medical
Article reference BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55677707