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After firefighters recently saved the life of a stabbing victim while returning from a call, Bristol City Centres’ Temple Fire Station has installed a new publicly accessible bleed control kit to support lifesaving efforts in the community.
Last year, the crew came across a seriously injured person, stopped immediately, and delivered life-saving trauma care to stop the bleeding until ambulance teams arrived. These actions not only helped save a life but highlighted the need for easily accessible emergency equipment.
The new bleed kit will be mounted on the outside of Temple Fire Station, Temple Back, Redcliff at What3Words: Areas, Plenty, Nurse. So that it can be quickly located by anyone in a critical situation. The equipment is designed to help control major bleeding from traumatic injuries such as stab wounds, serious assaults, or road traffic collisions, providing vital support in the minutes before medical response arrives.
“This kit gives anyone in the community the chance to make a real difference in those first critical minutes, before the ambulance arrives. I’m proud that Temple Fire Station is able to provide a space for one of these life-saving bleed kits for our community.”
Nick Rogers, Group Manager for Avon Fire & Rescue Services’ Bristol area, has been key to implementing this bleed kit.
The cabinet contains a comprehensive bleed control kit including a chest seal, gauze, tourniquet, dressing wraps, emergency shears, foil blanket, disposable gloves, CPR face mask, market pen and body map. Designed for use by the general public, the kit bridges the crucial gap between injury and professional medical care.
 To access the cabinet in an emergency, a caller must dial 999 and read out the code displayed on the front of the box. The emergency operator will then provide an access number to unlock the cabinet and guide the user on how to apply the equipment safely.
Knife crime continues to be a serious concern locally and nationally. Avon and Somerset’s annual data show thousands of knife-related offences recorded in recent years, reflecting wider national trends in serious violence. With installation of bleed kits identified as one way to help save lives when injuries occur.
Knives were used in 1,953 offences between April 2023 and March 2024, compared to 1,553 in 2022/2023, an increase of 26%, an annual report by the Bristol Community Safety Partnership said.
Knife crime campaigner Leanne Reynolds has supported the installation of the bleed kit as part of a wider effort to reduce serious violence in the region. Leanne has installed over 50public bleed control cabinets across Bristol and Somerset since 2022, in partnership with Bin the Blade and the Daniel BairdFoundation, creating a growing network of potentially life-saving resources in local communities.
“Every second counts when someone is bleeding heavily and these bleed kits have already helped to save 3 lives” said Leanne Reynolds. “Bristol and the wider region continue to face serious violence, and these bleed cabinets give local people the tools they need to act while help is on the way. The new kit at Temple Fire Station gives our community a fighting chance to prevent another tragedy.”