Z-MCHD Provides Trauma Kits to Local Law Enforcement

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – With active shooting incidents across the nation on the rise, a public health agency is helping local law enforcement agencies prepare by providing them with gunshot trauma kits. 

Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department Emergency Preparedness Coordinator and Safety Committee Chairman Jacob Graham explained how a discussion with local law enforcement following an Active Shooter training session led to action.

“I think community preparedness starts with partnerships,” Graham said. “You know this is a pretty close-knit community and I think through working together with our local partners like, with the local prosecutors office with Bethany, with the police departments. I think that’s how you create a resilient community and being able to all come together and prep for emergencies or disasters and working together you know to recover from those disasters that just makes our community stronger.”

Kits were distributed to Dresden, Frazeysburg, Muskingum University, New Concord, Roseville and South Zanesville Police Departments to be carried in their patrol vehicles through a federal Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant. 

“So these are more kind of stop the bleed trauma kits. There are some tourniquets, there’s a lot of gauze, chest seals, chest vents, really a lot of just active shooter type trauma that can be used, you know individually for the police officers or if they want to… in a situation in the community, they can be used as well,” Graham said.

Police are often the first to respond to shooting incidents and quick medical aid can mean the difference between life and death. The trauma kits help prepare local law enforcement officers with an added resource to better handle a worst case scenario.