The Sentinel
CARLISLE, Pa. — Funding from a new grant is allowing Dickinson College to host specialize first-aid courses for first responders and later to members of the college and area community.
Dickinson College Thursday said it was awarded a $5,711 grant from Highmark Blue Shield to train first responders and the public on how to better care for those wounded during active-shooter and mass-casualty events. The grant will enable Dickinson biology professor Chuck Zwemer and military science instructor John Haiduck to lead specialized courses covering first-aid aimed at managing traumatic injuries, stopping bleeding and preventing deaths, the college said.
“Incidents like the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing show how a pre-trained public can help victims and increase the odds of survival,” said Zwemer, a certified EMT who has taught anatomy and physiology for more than 20 years. “Simple but life-saving emergency medical care, like the use of tourniquets or pressure bandaging, can be taught easily to almost anyone.”
Haiduck, who teaches cadets in Dickinson’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program, serves as an advanced tactical paramedic in the U.S. Army Special Forces. The two will be joined by other first-responder instructors trained in advanced first-aid techniques for mass-casualty events.
The two hosted an 8-hour training session this week for the college’s Department of Public Safety, Carlisle Police Department and Cumberland County first responders.
Dickinson said the plan is to offer a 4-hour course early next year that will be open to the college community, local civic groups and the public. More information about public training courses will be announced when it becomes available, the college said.
The grant will also provide specialized, individual emergency kits that can be worn by police officers for immediate use on victims. Dickinson said it is providing partial funding for the initiative.
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