#control the bleed

We have been working in Partnership with Lynne Baird, who set up the Daniel Baird foundation, for just over 6 months now.

Lynne set up the charity in memorial to her son, Daniel Baird, who died from a fatal stab wound in 2017.  There was no first aid or bleeding control kit available at the time, and subsequently Dan died shortly after arriving at hospital due to catastrophic bleeding.

Daniel Baird Foundation work

Lynne and the charity have since been working tirelessly to get bleed kits into venues and shops in around the West Midlands and beyond for the past 4 years, and Lynne won a Pride of Britain award for her work in 2020.  We asked her to feedback on our bleed cabinet prototype, and the rest is history!

Now The Daniel Baird Foundation are campaigning for 24/7 accessible bleed cabinets and kits in busy areas, such as near schools, playgrounds, busy roads and pubs. A catastrophic bleed can be caused by a number of different things, not just a result of crime – from a serious road collision, a work injury, a significant fall, the list goes on.

With all this in mind, we asked Lynne to answer a few questions for us, which she kindly agreed to.

Lynne Baird Q&A

How do you juggle the charity along with all your other responsibilities?

The charity has really taken off in the last few years and I have gained some really supportive contacts, particularly in the West Midlands police and ambulance service – it is now a full time job.

I currently advise anyone who is interested in purchasing a bleed kit and cabinet, along with being part of support groups for those who have lost loved ones to knife crime.  At first I found it really daunting speaking to the press and other high profile groups, but I am well versed at it now!  I am so passionate about making sure that these bleed kits and cabinets are situated throughout the UK, to make sure no other family has to go through what we experienced, that I make the time.

When did you find out how important these lifesaving kits are?

These kits can save a life.  We worked with Prometheus and the West Midlands Ambulance Service  to make sure the kits contained everything necessary to halt a catastrophic bleed.  As a person can die within 3-5 minutes of a traumatic bleed injury, and the average time it takes an ambulance to arrive on scene (in a major city) is 7 minutes, these kits are essential.

We have placed hundreds of kits in pubs, restaurants and shops throughout the Birmingham and the surrounding areas.  With the kit is an instruction leaflet, but the person trying to save a life will ring 999 in the first instance anyway, and the call handler will be able to talk the person through how to use the kit.

What difference do you believe it has made to have kits in a bleed control cabinet?

Lockdown highlighted that whilst there are a number of kits situated in the Midlands – these aren’t all accessible 24/7.  Some are sitting in locked offices, or behind bar areas, and most people in the shop or pub may be unaware of the kit, or even where they can find them in an emergency.

A cabinet allows a member of the public to access these kits quickly – whatever the emergency –  and use them on the person in distress.  This could be from a road traffic accident, a heavy fall in the street, or even an accident at work.

For more information on the Daniel Baird Foundation and the work they do, please click here

Take a look at our bleed cabinet and kit options here