HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A Velcro strap was designed to save lives. In fact, one did just that last fall when a state police corporal used a tourniquet on himself after being shot on Route 33 near Nazareth.
"It's extremely important and we learned this from the Corporal Seth Kelly shooting. He was able to save his own life using a tourniquet that he carried on his person. The department learned from an incident like that and looking out for everyone's safety that the state police as a whole, we now carry a tourniquet on our person everytime we are in uniform," said Trooper Anthony Petroski.
Back in the spring, the state police partnered with the state trauma systems foundation to provide tourniquet training to every trooper within the Pennsylvania State Police.
"Every trooper in the state police will be trained and receive a tourniquet. It's a day-long training with some classroom stuff and then you have to demonstrate it," said Petroski.
In the past, it was only required that a tourniquet be inside a trooper's vehicle. But now, a new mandate requires a tourniquet to be somewhere on the trooper's body.
Lieutenant Joseph Sparich is the station commander at the barracks near Stroudsburg. He has already gone through the training and says all of his troopers will be trained by the end of the year.
"The Seth Kelly incident proved how useful they can be in saving an officers life that has either been shot or injured in the line of duty. Additionally, the troopers have them on their person if a civilian member is injured, they are trained to use them on those people too," said Lt. Joseph Sparich.
Troopers say the trainings are being held at different medical centers throughout the state.
The tourniquets are provided through a grant.