Wolverhampton people rush to become potentially life-saving 'zero responders'
Wolverhampton has answered a call for volunteers to create a new lifesaving 'zero responders' team within a week.
Every space on a 20 person bleed control kit training day has been filled by local residents who want to make a difference in their community.
'Zero responders' are the members of the public who first come across an emergency and call the first responders.
The response dwarfed similar appeals in Birmingham and elsewhere in the UK, leading organisers Yes 2 Life to shower praise on the new city's community spirit.
Majid Khan from Yes 2 Life said: "The response we have had in Wolverhampton has been phenomenal and has taken all of us by surprise.
"It really shows the community in Wolverhampton have really been effected by the recent spate of stabbings and murders and want to help stop another young person needlessly."
He added: "Installing bleed control kits can be pretty pointless if no-one has bothered to learn how to use them. Those precious few minutes before the ambulance arrives can really be a matter of life and death."
The bleed control kit training day is being held at Tytek Medical, Wolverhampton Science Park, on Saturday, September 10 and is already fully booked.
Tytek director Matt Eccles said: "We’re delighted with the unprecedented response we’ve had to our bleeding control workshop. There is clearly an appetite for bystanders to become zero responders should they be faced with treating a catastrophic bleed.
"The root causes of knife crime must be prioritized, but in the meantime, along with our partners, we can educate, equip and empower people to save lives."
Dan Hipgrove, from Fordhouses, decided to sign up to be a zero responder after reading the appeal in the Express & Star.
The 41-year-old said: "I have signed up as I think it’s vital to have the knowledge and training to respond to emergencies when and if they arise.
"If by training as a zero responder we can save valuable time and lives then that’s great."
Birmingham based Yes 2 Life, Wolverhampton Tytek Medical and American charity Choose Love Foundation previously installed bleed kits in Handsworth and Erdington in Birmingham and in Reading, Berkshire.
They decided to target Wolverhampton after 15-year-old Zane Smart was fatally knifed in Pendleford in May and Ronan Kanda, 16, was stabbed to death in July in Wolverhampton, and they researched statistics to show there was a rise in youth violence in the city.
