Southend Fire Station receives life-saving bleed prevention kit

Southend Fire Station will now be equipped with a public access bleed prevention kit that will give injured people better emergency care. 

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service now have 14 bleeds kits across the county, including: Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Canvey Island, Chelmsford, Colchester, Waltham Abbey, Harlow, Maldon, Rayleigh, Clacton, Grays and Stansted Fire Stations.

The bleed kit in Southend was funded by Daniel Johnson who ran the London Marathon last year. This was as part of The Liam Legacy, which was set up by Julie Taylor who tragically lost her grandson, Liam, in 2020. 

The bleed kits - containing a trauma dressing, a chest seal, a pack bandage, a tourniquet, gloves, scissors, a foil blanket, and a mouthguard for giving CPR - give firefighters and staff the tools they need to treat injuries and prevent people from entering hypovolemic shock or even dying from blood loss.

In an emergency, always call 999 and follow the instructions given by Ambulance Control. While firefighters may be able to assist if they are on station, members of the public should not delay using the kit by trying to seek their help.

Karl Edwards, Director of Corporate Services for ECFRS  said: “Having Public Access Bleed Kits at 14 of our fire stations is a fantastic step forward in community safety.

“These life-saving kits provide essential tools to help control severe bleeding in emergencies, buying precious time until professional medical help arrives. By making these kits accessible, we are empowering the public to act quickly and effectively, potentially saving countless lives in critical situations.”

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “The PFCC has long worked in partnership with Julie Taylor. She is an inspiration, she is dedicated and works tirelessly, and it is no understatement to say her work is of the utmost importance to driving down deaths from knife crime in Essex. 

“We’re pleased to work collaboratively with The Liam Taylor Legacy and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service in the placing of these kits. We recognise fire stations are a community asset and by placing these life-saving kits we are increasing the capability of the stations, and highly-trained and dedicated firefighters, to keep Essex communities safe and secure.”

Julie Taylor said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to Essex County Fire and Rescue Service for honouring Liam’s legacy, and all the others that were taken too soon

“By working together, we can stop knife and violent crime and create a safer Essex.”