Mother of Manchester Arena bombing victim pleas For Bleed Control Kits to be readily available

An impassioned mother of a Manchester Arena bombing victim is calling for the widespread adoption of Stop the Bleed kits, saying they could be the difference between "life or death", in the event of an attack.

Figen Murray, whose son Martyn Hett died at the fatal bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in May 2017, said the life-saving kits should be made available to the public as members of the public or private security personnel were likely to be first on the scene before any emergency responders arrived. 

Experts at The Manchester Arena Inquiry said it is ‘entirely reasonable’ that the ambulance service could take up to half an hour to arrive, as it takes time for teams with special protective equipment to enter the scene of a terrorist attack or shooting.

The Inquiry heard how emergency services did not arrive for 44 minutes, during which time the seriously injured and dying were tended to by police and first aiders. 

It was also relayed how the first ten minutes after an attack is crucial. In those minutes waiting for help, a life can be saved by the first responder if they have the correct equipment, as it can just two to five minutes to bleed out. 

Mrs Murray said the attack highlighted the need for life-saving "control the bleed" kits, also known as "emergency trauma packs" to stop catastrophic bleeding.

"Application in the first few minutes to a casualty with a significant bleed can literally mean life or death for that person," Mrs Murray said in a statement to the inquiry.

"We know that time is critical for those casualties to prevent them bleeding to death before emergency responders arrive."

Emergency services are likely to be "hampered by the declaration of zones slowing the movement of emergency responders into areas where casualties lie injured or bleeding", Mrs Murray said.

Stop The Bleed kits differ to a standard first aid kit and are designed to deal with severe bleeds victims might suffer from stabbings and gunshots. TyTek’s Bleeding Control Kits include compressed gauzes and trauma bandages, TVAC portable suction units, TPAK chest decompression needles, the Xtricate stretcher for confined space lifting and our unrivalled Piranha trauma shears.

Initially our emergency medical supplies were designed and engineered for military medics, but with civilians receiving battlefield style injuries, we have made them widely available.

Mrs Murray said there was a "strong case" for such kits to be as readily available as defibrillators, and said there were seven such pieces of equipment in her small Cheshire village in the UK.

"Pubs, clubs and restaurants, including their kitchens, sports centres, schools, arenas, industrial companies where machinery is used, the list is endless.

"Deaths through bleeding out or catastrophic bleeding could be significantly reduced if kits were available in as many venues as possible.” She concluded.

TyTek Medical have advocated the importance of Bleeding Control Equipment in public places for over five years and our mission to educate, equip and empower bystanders (or zero responders) in how to save a life in the event of a catastrophic bleed, has never wavered.

We are proud to be working in partnership with citizenAID and endorse the brilliant work Lynne Baird is doing at the Daniel Baird Foundation.

We have a number of tutorial videos in our Education Hub, which include How To Stop a Severe Bleed, How To Apply a Tourniquet and Common Questions When Treating a Severe Bleed. 

You can also check out our blogs that feature instructive articles including How to Apply Direct Pressure and The Simple ABC Guide to save a life.

If you would like more details about our Bleed Control equipment visit our online shop.