When the Wood County Sheriff’s Department realized a need for more robust first aid kits, Marshfield Medical Center-Marshfield provided funding to ensure deputies responding to serious injuries could provide better care in the field.
 
At a leadership training course at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia, local deputies learned what medical items are needed to best respond to mass casualty incidents, including chest seals, hemostatic gauze, coban rolls, nasal airway, trauma shears, tourniquets, and emergency trauma dressing. The existing kits that were carried by the deputies were not substantial enough to provide the level of care needed for these kinds of incidents. Charles Hoogesteger, operations captain for the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, received funding from Marshfield Clinic Health System’s Caring for Communities fund.
 
“We were able to order 48 kits in total,” said Hoogesteger. “Every county-owned squad car has one, and three more were placed at the security services office to respond to incidents on-site at the courthouse.”
 
Hoogesteger’s team worked with the local fire department to receive training on appropriate use of the items, and the fire department has been replacing items as they are used so the kits stay fully stocked. Since distributing the kits, they have been used twice to treat serious wounds resulting from car accidents. The new supplies helped slow bleeding until EMS arrived and was able to take over care.
 
The kits are stored in a bright red case, making the supplies easy to retrieve quickly. “Everyone was super excited [to receive the kits],” said Hoogesteger. “We’ll be able to render the level of care needed in these situations and improve people’s chance of survival.”