Virginia District Equips Schools with Trauma Kits, Emergency Response App
Gloucester County Public Schools is equipping its campuses with trauma kits and an accompanying emergency response app.
- By Jessica Davis
- May 24, 2019
Gloucester County Public Schools (GCPS) is helping staff members and students save lives by equipping its campuses with the Mobilize Rescue App and accompanying bleeding control and airway management kits.
Robin Zophy, a Nationally Certified School Nurse Coordinator for the district, wants the campus to be prepared for any physical emergency, whether it’s an accident, an active shooter or a natural disaster.
“The safety of the students in our schools is of utmost importance to the Gloucester County School system,” Zophy said. “We have an excellent, mostly volunteer rescue squad, but they are not always able to be just minutes away from an emergency. We want to do everything within our power to keep students and staff safe, and we want our staff to be as prepared as possible for any emergency.”
The GCPS Safety Committee decided to purchase the Mobilize Public Access Rescue station for all GCPS campuses, along with the Mobilize Rescue App.
In an emergency, a civilian can use one of the Rescue Station’s Individual Public Access Kits (iPAKs), open the Mobilize Rescue App on their smartphone and follow the app’s instructions to manage severe building, cardiac arrest, seizures and other medical problems while emergency responders head to campus.
“We needed an app that was not dependent on Wi-Fi, because some of the schools have poorer reception,” Zophy said. “The Mobilize Rescue App is an aid for people reacting under pressure. The kit has the emergency supplies, the app tells the user when, how and what to use in the kit. We felt that the app was important, because not all people are able to stay calm during a bleeding or injury emergency.”
About the Author
Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.