Debra Williams, RN, MSN, CCRN-K, TCRN
Trauma Injury Prevention/Outreach Coordinator
Cooper University Hospital
May is Trauma Awareness Month and the American Trauma Society continues to be a leader in promoting trauma awareness and injury prevention initiatives. This year, the focus is on firearm injury prevention. Every day in the United States, eight children and 75 adults die or become injured because of firearm violence. In 2017, there was a firearm-related death every 13 minutes and approximately two thirds were suicides.
We are hopeful that by providing basic education in five key areas we can aid in preventing firearm injury and death.
Firearm Safety. Firearm Safety Practices promote the safe care and management of firearms. Firearm injury prevention strategies include utilizing firearm safes, locks, and lockable firearm cases or boxes. Proper storage of firearms assists in preventing unauthorized use. When communities participate in firearm buyback programs, it encourages proper and safe removal of unwanted firearms in a non-threatening environment. Successful programs can empower a community!
Hunter Safety. Hunting is a sport that has been around for many years and firearms have been a large part of that sport. Hunter education has played a role in preventing injury and death during the different hunting seasons. There are four main rules of firearm safety when utilizing these weapons:
- Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
- The muzzle of the firearm must point in a safe direction.
- Do not keep your finger on the trigger unless you are ready to shoot.
- Always know what is in front of and behind the target at which you are shooting.
Education and prevention programs geared toward hunter safety helps decrease injuries.
Urban Violence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cities carry the largest burden for firearm-related violence and firearms have become tools of violence in the urban setting. There are reports of a decline in gun violence in cities over the last decade, mainly due to implemented policies, policing strategies, education, and prevention strategies. Because of the reported decline in gun violence, it is believed that these strategies are working and the initiatives must be ongoing in the urban environment.
Firearms and Suicide. The CDC has deemed suicide by firearms to be a public health crisis. During the past 10 years, there has been a 19% increase in the amount of firearm-related suicides in our country. Research identifies that access to firearms makes a difference when someone is contemplating suicide. Time and distance between that person and the firearm may be effective in preventing a tragic death.
Stop the Bleed. This interactive course is designed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a national campaign to educate and empower anyone to be able to save a life by quickly applying learned skills. There are many different reasons why someone could be injured and massively bleeding. This campaign has a goal to provide resources and knowledge to everyone so that they may save the life of a victim who may otherwise die. Cooper University Hospital, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, and Cooper EMS together have taught these valuable skills to more than 1,100 individuals in 2018!
Increasing your knowledge and practicing safe firearm management may help you or someone you know reduce the risk of ending up in an emergency room or trauma center.