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Fereday’s First Response warns that catastrophic bleeding can become fatal within minutes, warning that schools remain unprepared.
A bleed‑control kit should be as standard in schools as a fire alarm or first‑aid box. That is the message communities must now send to headteachers, governors and education leaders as demand for life‑saving equipment continues to outstrip supply. Dudley‑based Fereday’s First Response has received more than 30 requests for kits from schools and community spaces, yet currently has only four available. This is not a minor fundraising gap, it is a critical shortfall that could determine whether someone receives life-saving treatment in the minutes before emergency services arrive.
Fereday’s First Response is urging schools to organise non‑uniform, mufti or dress‑down days to help fund additional kits. A small contribution from each pupil could collectively provide equipment designed to control catastrophic blood loss. These kits do not replace first‑aid training or the need to call 999, but when severe bleeding occurs, immediate action can buy precious time and significantly improve a casualty’s chance of survival.
This push for accessible emergency equipment is not new. In 2019, Birmingham community campaigner Bishop Desmond Jaddoo supported efforts to introduce public‑access bleed‑control kits across the city. Kits were installed in shops and businesses around Lozells as part of a campaign linked to the Daniel Baird Foundation, recognising early on that communities needed rapid‑response tools long before paramedics could arrive. BirminghamLive reported on the rollout at the time, underscoring that this issue has been urgent for years, yet schools remain without essential protection.
The question now is simple: why does every school not already have one? Schools prepare for fires, medical emergencies and safeguarding incidents; being equipped for catastrophic bleeding should be part of that responsibility. The hope is that such equipment is never needed, but if the unthinkable happens, no headteacher, parent or pupil should be left wondering whether a life could have been saved. Share this story, tag your child’s school, ask whether a bleed‑control kit is on site and encourage a dress‑down day to support Fereday’s First Response. One fundraiser, one conversation and one properly placed kit could save a life. Preparation cannot wait until after a tragedy.
