OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Some Omaha-area school districts are installing bleeding control kits inside schools to give staff and students quick access to resources in case of an emergency, including a shooting. The Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Agency has led the effort to get the kits into school districts, including Omaha Public Schools in Nebraska and Council Bluffs Community Schools in Iowa, The Omaha World-Herald reported. Southwest Iowa Preparedness Partners provided the funding.

The kits cost about $56 each and contain an instruction card, gauze, rubber gloves, scissors and a tourniquet that can be used to stop bleeding. The supplies could be used to address a range of injuries, from accidents in shop class or emergencies such as a school shooting, school officials said. Emergency responders typically respond quickly, but having supplies on hand can make a difference in cases with intense bleeding, said Tim Hamilton, the executive director of student and family services at the Council Bluffs district.

“The idea is if we can stop the bleed, we’re going to save a life,” he said. The Council Bluffs district has trained its health staff, teachers, support staff and some students on how to use the kits, Hamilton said. Sarpy County Sheriff Lt. Jacob Betsworth has been collaborating with CHI Health and the Gretna Community Foundation to install kits at Gretna Public Schools.

Betsworth said training people on how to stop bleeding is similar to training people in CPR.
“At some point in our history, CPR wasn’t a thing,” he said. “Now, almost everybody at some point has been exposed to it. We’re kind of going down that path here.”