New trauma cabinets, stocked with life-saving bleed kits, have been installed in key locations around Darlington town centre.
Positioned alongside existing defibrillators, these kits provide essential tools to help control severe bleeding in an emergency before paramedics arrive.
Funded by the Durham Police and Crime Commissioner’s office, the cabinets are now available at The Turk’s Head, the Market Hall/town clock, and Rosie’s Tavern.
Darlington Council’s community safety team has worked closely with local businesses and partners to ensure the kits are placed in easily accessible locations. Each kit contains pressure bandages, tourniquets, and gloves to help bystanders provide critical first aid when someone suffers a serious injury.
The council’s community safety team will maintain and restock the cabinets as needed. If access is required in an emergency, Durham Constabulary can provide the location details and access code.
Commissioner Joy Allen said: “It’s important to remember that serious violence is in fact a rare occurrence and that Darlington is actually a safe place to live, work and visit. With our partners, I am determined to keep it that way. However, in the event that someone does suffer a traumatic injury, these trauma kits will enable members of the public to intervene immediately, which gives the victim the best possible chance of survival. Evidence shows that the minutes following an injury, prior to paramedics arriving at the scene, are critical and so I have no doubt these kits will potentially save lives. I would like to thank our partners at Darlington Borough Council and the local businesses which have supported this initiative, for fitting the kits in high footfall areas to ensure they are visible and available for anyone needing to use the equipment in an emergency.”
Inspector Matt Plumb, from the Darlington Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “The early stages of a violent incident or serious medical episode are often the most important in terms of delivering life-saving medical care. These cabinets will assist members of the public to provide a rapid response prior to the arrival of emergency services, which ultimately could save someone’s life. Our hope is that they are never required, but it’s reassuring to have these kits available to provide essential life-saving care to someone should they ever need it.”
Jim Garner, the council’s cabinet member for stronger communities, said: “This is another example of how we’re working closely with the police, PCC and partners to help people in Darlington feel safer. By providing this lifesaving equipment we will hopefully increase the chances of saving people’s lives if ever required. Naturally, we hope they are never needed, but it’s reassuring to know they are there if they are ever needed.”
Mike Dowson, managing director of Turtle Medical which supplied the kits, said: “Not all local authorities are as forward thinking as Darlington Borough Council, and it should be applauded for increasing its commitment to public medical safety. Having emergency bleed control kits, Public Access Trauma (PAcT) kits and defibrillators accessible in businesses and across communities is crucial if we are to close the care gap between incidents and the arrival of first aid responders. Ultimately, this type of action in Darlington will save lives.”
Dr Lynne Baird, founder of The Daniel Baird Foundation, said: “I’d like to thank Darlington Borough Council for their due diligence and supporting The Daniel Baird Foundation by choosing our original bleed control kits which Turtle Medical produce for us. A number of copy-cat products do not contain all the items required to control severe bleed injuries, but the people of Darlington will have public access to ambulance service approved medical equipment.”
The initiative has been led by the Serious Violence Prevention Partnership – a multi-agency group supported by the PCC that is working to improve safety across County Durham and Darlington. The kits will be available for use in any incident in which a person has received a traumatic injury including a fall or road traffic collision. Others are already in existence in other areas of the country including Northumbria and Cleveland as part of wider measures to increase public safety.
