In an emergency, every second counts and having to wait for an ambulance could be the difference between life and death. There are far more taxis on our roads than ambulances, so it makes sense to put life-saving kits in cabs to give people with serious injuries the best chance of survival.
This means that taxis carrying the Rapaid bleed kits can be flagged down and help can be given to stop someone bleeding to death from a serious injury, whether they have been involved in a crash or are the victim of an attack. An adult can bleed to death in less than five minutes, so the sooner help arrives, the greater their chance of survival.
Lifesavers
The Rapaid bleed kits are military-style bandages designed to save lives on the battlefield. They can easily be applied by someone without medical training, can stop severe bleeding in seconds and have already been placed in about 5,000 cabs around the country. In one of the latest schemes in Plymouth, the BBC reports that a successful trial of the bleed kits has now been extended.
The kits were initially put into 50 black cabs at Plymouth train station but following a £10,000 donation from Devonport-based global defence company Babcock International Group, it has been extended to 160 cabs.
Taxis carrying the kits are identified with stickers on the front and rear windows. Each kit contains sealed emergency bandages which are designed to stop catastrophic bleeding. They include a built-in pressure pad and tourniquet. They also include surgical gloves and easy-to-follow instructions, with step-by-step images for anyone to apply the bandages.
First-aid
Rapaid charity co-founder Alex Chivers told the BBC: “It takes just three to five minutes to bleed out and anyone can use our military-style bandages to stop the bleed in seconds, using the simple instructions included.”
“The cab drivers do not need to use the kits themselves, the idea is that their vehicle is where the emergency bandages kit is kept for public use anywhere in the Plymouth area.
“This is vital first-aid for any kind of accident or incident, including road traffic collisions, terror attacks, stabbings or falls.”
Support
The life-saving kits have also proved popular with London cabbies, who hope a sponsor will come forward to help the charity produce enough Rapaid kits to meet demand.
London Taxi Drivers’ Association General Secretary Steve McNamara said: “You can’t walk anywhere in central London for more than a couple of minutes without seeing a black cab, which makes them the perfect vehicle for circulating Rapaid emergency bandage kits throughout one of the busiest urban environments in the world.
“It’s amazing to think how quickly 2,000 cabs have been kitted out. And even more amazing to know that we could turn that figure into 15,000 tomorrow based on the number of drivers happy to get on board. The only thing slowing down the roll out is funding. Rapaid is a charity, dependent on donations to fund production and distribution of the kits.”
Taxi drivers are on the front line in towns and cities and in an emergency, they are far more likely to be nearby than an ambulance, so it makes sense to put these life-saving kits in as many cabs as possible. If the worst happens, they are on hand and the kits really can help make a difference between life and death.
