Westchester County offers a program that provides life-saving emergency preparedness training to people with visual impairments.
On Monday, the county’s Department of Emergency Services (DES) unveiled a new video highlighting the Stop the Bleed pilot program, which not only promotes inclusivity but also helps teach a population important skills to help others in need.
The program, the first of its kind in Westchester, took place at the DES training facility in Valhalla and was adapted from training programs for professional first responders in low-light situations.
Brett Roberts, deputy chief of DES’ EMS division and a longtime emergency medical services instructor who oversees the program, said civilians are far more capable of responding to an emergency in which someone is bleeding heavily than emergency medical personnel.
“We hope you never actually need it. But if you do, we hope you feel safe enough to do it before emergency responders arrive,” Roberts said in the video to a class at the training facility.
DES Commissioner Richard Wishnie said it was a great pleasure for the county that its emergency services instructors could also offer training to the community’s visually impaired civilian population.
“DES has been working with disability service providers and people with first-hand experiences with disabilities for many years to better prepare our first responders,” Wishnie said. “I am proud to see the success of this pilot program as the latest advancement in this collaborative and ongoing effort.”
The program is also offered in partnership with the Office for People with Disabilities. That office’s director, Evan Latainer, said the program helps the county continue to break down barriers that people with disabilities regularly face.
“This project addresses the need to provide accessible and inclusive emergency preparedness training, with a focus on responding to life-threatening emergencies,” said Latainer. “This pilot project will only strengthen our resolve to be more collaborative, inclusive and accessible.”
What makes Stop the Bleed so important for every member of the community, Roberts said, is that sometimes a seriously injured person only has minutes or even seconds before their life is at stake.
“It’s a fast-acting process,” he said. “That’s why it’s critical that we already have a curriculum in place where everyone gets the same material and knows how to do it. So when you leave here, you’re going to feel safe, we know that.”
