Local Donations Help Carnesville Fire Department Purchase Trauma Kits

The Carnesville Fire Department is thanking two area businesses and a Franklin County family for their donations that helped the department purchase two MCI Walk Kits.

Carnesville Fire Captain Clayton Bryant said the two trauma bags were ordered by Franklin Co EMS on behalf of Carnesville Fire at a cost of $2,411.

Bryant said the kits will be used for emergencies or mass casualty situations.

“We received two MCI Walk Kits from North American Rescue. These are kits that are made for a mass casualty-type event. The trauma kits have breathing airways and stop-the-bleed-type devices. They also have tourniquets and gauze as well as a stretcher that we can use on-scene to assist EMS with their operations,” Bryant explained.

Bryant said the Carnesville Fire Department has been working closely with Franklin County EMS and their sister departments Red Hill & Five Area Fire training for a mass casualty event. He said the trauma bags are an integral part of his department’s ongoing training and preparation in the event of a mass casualty situation.

“For the last few years we have been doing Tactical Combat Casualty Care training in our department,” Bryant explained. “We’re in the County seat here in Carnesville, and we have about 6,000 students under our care during the school day. And last year we also involved our sister stations which also could run trauma calls at these schools if something were to happen. We had the training done by Franklin County Medic Cameron Cheek and now we have the supplies so we can fulfill our roles to the fullest in case a call comes.”

Bryant said the trauma bags were made possible by several generous donations.

“We put in the paper awhile ago what we were needing and we had some businesses here in the County step up. We had a family in Carnesville that donated an amount of money and we had two businesses. One was Ginn Funeral Home in Carnesville. They paid for one of these trauma bags. And the other business was Living Comfort Heating and Air of the Carnesville, Double Churches area. They and the family donated money enough to pay for the other trauma bag. So, we do greatly appreciate both of those businesses and the family stepping up. The family was the Darrel Hortman family of Carnesville,” Bryant said.

Bryant said because Red Hill and Five Area fire departments were also able to receive the mass casualty training it brings the combined total response strength to close to 40 men should the call come.