Stanford University’s Department of Public Safety created a new campus program that will allow even untrained bystanders to treat people with injuries in the critical moments before emergency responders can arrive. They did this with the help of The Mobilize Rescue System, and a phone app.
For this new safety program, Stanford installed Public Access Trauma Stations – which are wall-mounted red plastic cases, in 50 locations across campus. Within each station, are four trauma kits containing tourniquets, bleeding control gauze, compression bandages, chest seals, Mylar blankets and face shields for administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Good Samaritans
The kits will allow bystanders to play an active role in responding to emergencies that result from accidents, medical emergencies and acts of violence. Since death from severe bleeding can occur in as little as 5 minutes, a bystander’s actions can save a life.
The kits and app are accessible to students, faculty, staff and visitors – anyone willing to step into the role of Good Samaritan and help treat someone before the ambulance arrives.
In California, anyone providing aid as a Good Samaritan – meaning people who are not doctors or licensed first responders, carry no liability for patient outcomes. According to the state Law: “No person who in good faith, and not for compensation, renders emergency medical or non-medical care at the scene of an emergency shall be liable for any civil damages resulting from any act or omission.”
The central feature of these trauma kits is the Mobilize Rescue Phone App, which shows civilians how to provide potential lifesaving aid. Anyone who witnesses a medical emergency can retrieve a kit, open the app, follow the instructions and use the medical supplies in the kit to treat a patient. The app will guide you through the entire treatment process.
While first responders usually arrive on scene in urban settings in under 10 minutes, they may be delayed due to widespread disaster, a lock down following a shooting scenario. Or any other environmental factors beyond their control.
Implementation
Students are all provided with access to a video Introducing the University’s Safety Program, and demonstrating the Mobilize Rescue System, with a map of where the kits are located.
The kits offer a way for members of the Stanford community to engage in the university’s collective safety efforts. Their hope is that kits are never used, but they are thankful to their university for installing the public trauma kits in their buildings. They hope for the best, but are prepared for the worst.
The supplies in the kits are labeled and organized – color-coded and numbered – to match the instructions on the app. The app’s prompts are made of “yes” or “no” questions and the instructions are written in layperson’s terms, making it possible for anyone to render aid.
The phone app is free for Stanford students and staff with a University login, via Google Play and the App Store. If they have not downloaded the app beforehand, they can simply scan the QR code listed on the nearest Public Access Trauma Station.
Feel free to Contact us if interested in the Mobilize Rescue System for your home, school or organization. Schools qualify for special quantity discounts. Stay safe out there!
Contributors K. Sullivan and L. Cicero.