Railway firm installs Daniel Baird Foundation bleed control kits in stations across UK
Rail passengers will be safer from the scourge of knife crime after Avanti West Coast Railways agreed to install bleed control kits at 16 major stations across the country.
Lynne Baird MBE, mother of Daniel Baird, who was stabbed to death in Digbeth in 2016, and Dudley councillor Keiran Casey advised the rail company the best strategy for saving lives.
With the rail network criss-crossing the country, Avanti West Coast planners worked out which stations would the best to have the kits, which include a tourniquet, bandaging and other vital emergency apparatus. The stations picked in the West Midlands are Stafford, Birmingham International, Coventry and Rugby.
Bleed control kits can be used by members of the public and trained staff to administer vital first aid in the minutes after a stabbing or any trauma.
Avanti West Cost was impressed by The Daniel Baird Foundation's relentless campaign to spread bleed control kits and awareness of their life-saving potential.
Since the foundation was founded in 2017 more than 10,000 kits have been placed in public places across the UK and as far afield as the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The bleed kits will sit alongside the existing first aid provision at stations and be accessible for employees to use in the event of an emergency.
David Whitehouse, security director at Avanti West Coast said: “The safety of our people and customers is paramount. Accidents can happen at any time and bleed kits, put simply, can help save a life.
“We are incredibly proud to support the Foundation and would encourage others to join with Lynne to promote such an important cause.”
Lynne Baird added: “People shouldn’t just associate a catastrophic bleed to a stabbing. There are many other causes such as from a car accident or a work-related injury.
“We believe that having publicly accessible bleeding control packs in public places such as railway stations is vital. They provide the necessary first aid to help reduce blood loss until professional medical help arrives and I can’t thank Avanti West Coast enough for their support.”
Castle and Priory ward councillor Keiran Casey said: “Lynne is an inspiration to us all and it’s been an honour to support her work which is so vitally important.
“We’re both extremely grateful to Avanti West Coast for supporting the campaign to help improve safety across the network and for rolling these kits out, they can genuinely save lives.”
