VALLEY CITY, N.D. -- Taking a break from cattle judging, horse shows and vendors, families and farmers received some life-saving tips here Thursday, March 6, they can use on the farm or anywhere, really.
NDSU Nursing and NDSU Extension teamed up to teach tourniquet techniques to some of the Winter Show attendees.
It's all part of the "Stop the Bleed" project. An effort to teach farm families, farmhands and others steps to getting bleeding stopped at a farm accident in our rural areas, while waiting for help.
"Anyone know the average age of a farmer in North Dakota?" Alicia Harstad, NDSU Extension-Barnes County, asked the class.
"It can only take 3-5 minutes before someone bleeds out and so if you are there on the scene and can help; obviously the chances of getting an ambulance to the scene in that short of time is slim," Harstad added.
Every year, there are reports of tragic accidents on the farm. The top two culprits are tractors and grain bins.
"We know from the research that many deaths that occur from accidents or injuries are preventable and if bystanders can act quickly, they often can save a life," Mykell Barnacle, a family nurse practitioner and instructor at NDSU's Nursing School, said.
Rural firefighters such as Steff and Jacob Baustian of Tower City, N.D., who attended the class Thursday.
"So, it is good to go through and get a little practice," Jacob Baustian, another firefighter, said.
The class is also for families, such as Amy Tichy and son Owen, who came to the free class.
"I came across an accident a few months ago where there was bleeding involved, and it made me realize that I don't necessarily know what to do and he (Owen) is driving now and has friends on farms," Tichy said.
"Enough so you have enough pressure to stop the bleeding," Barnacle said to the class as the students tightened the tourniquets on each other.
Something so simple. Something that could buy some time when someone they love is in trouble.
"If you are 40 or 50 miles away from a hospital, you still need to get there," Harstad said.
In the last 10 years, nearly 300 patients have come to Sanford Level One Trauma with a farm-related injury. On Thursday, these people left better equipped to act.
The NDSU Nursing-Extension partnership will take the classes to Casselton, Fessenden, New Rockford, Kindred and other cities in the coming weeks.