Law enforcement participate in trauma care training

Nearly 70 Putnam County Law enforcement officials along with several representatives from local schools and organizations recently took part in trauma care training at the Putnam County Fairgrounds. During the training, sponsored by the Putnam County FOP, lead instructor Jerett Query (center) advised Jason Chambers (right) of Putnam County Community Corrections how to properly apply a pressure bandage on Greencastle Police Officer Matt Huffman.

Putnam County law enforcement officials participated in trauma training at the Putnam County Fairgrounds during two-hour sessions last Thursday and Sunday.

Query also worked with Cloverdale Police Sgt. Charlie Hallam  (left) as he learned to wound pack on a ham, which was used to best represent a human's flesh and muscle tone.

The training, which was sponsored by the Putnam County Fraternal Order of Police, provided officials with minimal or little medical knowledge, how to provide personal care as well as care for others who may be injured during active shooter situations or even a normal everyday traffic stop. Its main focus was on traumatic injuries like gunshot or stab wounds.

"(It teaches them) how to provide a rapid life-saving intervention and get them to safety," lead instructor Jerett Query said. "Also, a portion of the class was to provide the knowledge of self aid to sustain life in the occurrence of an unfortunate event. It's a great knowledge base to have."

Officials were also instructed on the proper way to drag an injured person to safety, how to walk a person through self-care as well as how one may improvise with a variety items that one may have on them, such as using a belt for a tourniquet.

The trauma training and the equipment itself is a carryover from the war on terror, which is based off of what the military has found that works.

Meanwhile, Greencastle Assistant Police Chief Brian Hopkins also worked with Huffman to demonstrate dragging techniques.

"The equipment has been enhanced over the years to where the field soldiers get taught more and given more equipment to handle trauma care both for themselves and for the people they work with," Putnam County FOP President and training session coordinator Jerrod Baugh said. "It's been incorporated into law enforcement to where the officer has both the equipment and the training to handle trauma care."

The two-hour training sessions involved tourniquets for massive bleeding and chest seals for gunshot wounds as well as pressure bandages to stop bleeding.

"We are trying to educate anyone who may potentially be placed in these situations, so they can provide care to save a life," Query explained. "There are many statistics that show many soldiers and victims could have survived their injuries, if someone would have provided a simple, yet important maneuver, as taught in this class. The threat is real and moves closer to home every day."

With it being the first time that this type of training has been offered locally, local officials who have attended trauma care classes elsewhere made it a priority to bring it closer to home.

"They don't teach it at the Academy yet. There's a lot of officers out there that haven't had this type of training," Baugh explained. "The same day that we were training (Thursday), an officer in Dallas used it on himself to save his own life using the same exact equipment. That's huge."

The two days were put together and organized by the by the Putnam County Fraternal Order of Police and it was through its community fundraising that they were able to provide its members as well as the Putnam County 4-H Shooting Sports program with Downed Officer Kits, which consisted of tourniquets, pressure bandages, chest seals and EMT sheers. The kits were provided to local officials as most departments are unable to fund these kits due to budget constraints.

"The equipment that is on the market now is enhanced and is getting better and easier to use," Baugh said. "We've got to get this stuff in the cars and we've got to get people comfortable with their use. This training is nothing that is hypothetical, it's actually being used both in the military and in law enforcement to deal with trauma."

Participating in the training was the Greencastle Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff's Department, Roachdale Police Department, Cloverdale Police Department, Indiana State Excise Police, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, DePauw Police Department and Putnam County Community Corrections, Greencastle Community School Corporation, Cloverdale Community School Corporation, North Putnam Community School Corporation, South Putnam Community School Corporation and Greencastle Ivy Tech.

Putnam County Sheriff's Department Deputy Ronnie Campbell (left) applies a pressure bandage to Lt. Donnie Pettit as lead instrutor Jerett Query watches.

Also participating were archery instructors, firearm instructors, nurses, teachers and Area 30 Career Center Law Enforcement students.

"You're much more likely to use it if you're comfortable with its use," Baugh said. "It's one of those trainings that you hope you never have to use, but when you do it's very important."