Prepared for the Unexpected: Earning My “Stop the Bleed” Certification
Last night at the Warren County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) Citizens’ Academy, the session took a serious and vital turn. After spending time learning about the complexities of the juvenile justice system, our cohort shifted gears to hands-on emergency response training: the STOP THE BLEED® course.
Presented by Lt. Brian Foley of Warren County Fire and Rescue, the course was an eye-opening deep dive into life-saving techniques.
Beyond Basic First Aid
Over the last few years, I’ve participated in several CPR, AED, and First Aid classes. While those courses briefly introduced the concept of tourniquets, this certification went much deeper into the specific mechanics of controlling life-threatening bleeding.
We practiced the “ABC”s of bleeding control:
- A – Alert: Call 911.
- B – Bleeding: Find the injury.
- C – Compress: Apply pressure and use tourniquets effectively.
Faith and Readiness
There is a certain sobriety that comes with this kind of training. It’s a skill set you hope you never have to put into practice. However, I find a great deal of peace in being prepared. My prayer is that I will never encounter a situation where these skills are required, but I am also hopeful that God will guide me to be in the right place at the right time—and with the right tools—if I am ever needed to help a neighbor in crisis.
A big thank you to Lt. Foley and the WCSO for providing this essential training to our community.
Certificate Earned: > American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma recognizes Lewis Moten for the successful completion of the STOP THE BLEED Course presented on October 9, 2025.
