Support ‘In Time of Need Amateur Responders’

By Robert B. Smith

You are in a car accident. You or a family member has a life-threatening arterial bleed. The victim has less than 60 seconds to live before they bleed out. An untrained Good Samaritan runs up to your car and offers to apply direct pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. Do you accept, or do you say you’d rather wait for the highly trained paramedic who is 5-10 minutes away?

You or your kids are being attacked in a public place, school, mall, church, etc. You can wait for the highly trained professional who is many more minutes away, or rely on a well-trained armed citizen, or even an untrained armed individual who can at least try to stop the killing immediately.

If in either scenario you choose waiting, that guarantees death will occur. Fear of reliance on an untrained person who is there now, because they may not deliver the highest standard of care assures that NO care will be rendered. SOMEONE must take IMMEDIATE action.

I spent 45 years in emergency services, and got there too late, too many times. We rely on first responder citizens to hold the line until we get there. I support training of all types, and do not look down my nose at the ‘amateur’ citizen who makes a difference.