AURORA, Colo. -- As people remember those who lost their lives in the Columbine Shooting 19 years ago on Friday, Colorado schools are also looking ahead to new developments in safety procedures that have changed since then. Regis Jesuit High School is among Colorado schools with emergency kits on campus that can help save lives during emergencies or mass shootings.
Regis Jesuit students trained on the Mobilize Rescue System units this week. They are almost like an EMT in a box, with a screen inside giving bystanders the steps and tools they need to act in a trauma or medical emergency. Depending on the extent of an injury, a person can bleed out in a matter of minutes. Kits like these are crucial to start the treatment process when emergency crews are on their way.
"If somebody is right there at the zero minute mark and they start working on that person, when we get to you and when we come in and everything is done, it is a quicker turnaround time for us," said Guy Gioeli, Director of Education for Mobilize Rescue Systems.
Gioeli said the biggest problem when emergencies happen is people feeling uncomfortable or unprepared to act. To help with that uncertainty, developers designed an application to help walk someone through the steps for that specific emergency so they can pull up the directions right on their phone.
Regis Jesuit students trained with the different materials inside the box, including putting on a tourniquet and learning how to pack a wound. The kit also has tools to treat treat burns, fractures, cardiac issues and even opioid overdoses.
"I have walked by them and seen them in the halls but I never really knew how to use it. Having the simple background information on what the machine does and how to use all of the utensils within the box I think that will help us to be more prepared when a casualty happens," said Regis Jesuit Girls Division senior Riley Parsons.
"I was a student when Columbine happened. I remember it like it was yesterday. If this was in my school then, it definitely would have been on the forefront of my mind thinking gosh what would I have been able to do with that mobilized unit. Any public places should have one. Schools, malls and airports," said Head Athletic Trainer for the Regis Jesuit Girls Division Lindsay Casas.
Similar styles of emergency kits are becoming more common in public places in Colorado. The Denver International Airport has them next to AED machines. The American Red Cross and other online vendors supply kits as well.