OLYMPIA — Legislation backed by students and surgeons to help keep students safe in the event of traumatic injuries was signed into law today.
SB 5790 would provide bleeding control kits in schools and encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help until professionals arrive.
“Bystanders can help save lives with simple techniques. Having these kits available and having staff trained in using them can make all the difference,” said Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), the bill’s sponsor.
Gov. Inslee signs Engrossed Senate Bill No. 5790 at the UW Center for Behavioral Health and Learning in Seattle – March 29, 2024. Relating to bleeding control equipment in schools. Primary Sponsor: Sen. Dhingra
The kits include tourniquets certified to U. S. Department of Defense standards, compression bandages, bleeding control bandages, latex-free gloves; instructional documents, and other equipment. Two or more employees per school must be trained on using the kits.
“Every year, I sponsor legislation brought to me by students in my district,” Dhingra said. “This bill was first proposed by students from Eastlake High School in Sammamish. All Washingtonians, regardless of age, are able to participate in our democracy and shape the laws of our state. Having both students and surgeons as advocates on this bill was truly inspirational — and highly effective.”
This legislation is part of a national Stop the Bleed campaign by the American College of Surgeons, which provides most training sessions for free. There is no minimum age for the training.
“A person can bleed to death in three to four minutes if hemorrhaging is not stopped,” Dhingra said. “In King County, the target 911 response time is seven minutes. This is why it’s so important that bystanders learn to help.”
Rian Alam, currently a student at University of Washington, was one of the original Eastlake High School students who suggested the bill to Dhingra in 2020. “Over three million people in the U.S. have become Stop the Bleed certified,” Alam said when testifying on the bill again this year. “These kits have the power to save lives.”
Gov. Inslee signs Engrossed Senate Bill No. 5790 at the UW Center for Behavioral Health and Learning in Seattle – March 29, 2024. Relating to bleeding control equipment in schools. Primary Sponsor: Sen. Dhingra
“We have shown unequivocally that a little knowledge and the right equipment in the hands of nonmedical people saves lives,” said Dr. Quinton Hatch, vice chair for the Washington state chapter of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, when testifying in the bill’s hearing. Hatch, an active-duty Army surgeon, said that the military cut deaths from arm and leg bleeding from 8% to 2% after outfitting non-medical personnel with bleeding kits like those required in this legislation.
The bill requires that school districts have kits in place and staff trained on using them in time for the 2026-27 school year.
