Bridgwater Town Council is urging the public not to tamper with or vandalise publicly accessible bleed control kits, following recent incidents involving the kit located at Blake Gardens.
Bleed control kits are not toys or objects of curiosity. They are life-saving resources designed to enable members of the public to provide immediate assistance during a medical emergency, particularly where someone is suffering a catastrophic bleed.
The minutes immediately following a serious injury can be critical. Whether following a stabbing, road traffic collision, workplace accident or other traumatic incident, a bleed control kit provides essential equipment, including trauma dressings and tourniquets to help control severe bleeding until emergency services arrive.
If a kit is vandalised, tampered with or stolen, essential equipment may be missing, or the kit may no longer be safe to use. This could have serious consequences at the very moment it is needed.
Councillor Tim Mander, Chair of the Amenities Committee said,
“It is deeply disappointing that anyone would tamper with equipment that has been put in place to help save a life. These kits are there for everyone in our community and, in an emergency, every second can count.
“Replacing a damaged or stolen kit is not simply a question of cost. The financial cost can be replaced; what cannot be replaced is a life. If a kit is needed and is not there, or is not properly equipped because it has been tampered with, the consequences could be devastating.
“I would urge anyone who sees someone interfering with a bleed control kit to report it immediately. Please help us ensure these vital resources remain available, intact and ready to use when someone needs them most.”
Bridgwater Town Council is asking anyone who witnesses someone tampering with a bleed control kit to report it immediately. Incidents can be reported to the police on 101.
These kits are provided for one purpose: to help save lives in an emergency. The Council is committed to supporting their continued provision, but every damaged or stolen kit creates an unnecessary cost for local taxpayers.
Please help us keep these vital resources available, intact and ready for use when they are needed most.