 |
| Holding a first-aid kit, Gregg Bender is flanked by Trevor Butts, left, and Jack VanZile. |
Those whose job it is to serve and protect received some much-needed protection of their own recently, as The Resource Center donated 23 first-aid kits to the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team.
“They’re great. Until we got the kits, we only had an assortment of bandages when we’d go out in the field,” said Sergeant Trevor Butts, a member of the SWAT team. “When we are out on assignment, we really don’t have anything in case of an emergency.”
“It’s important to support our law enforcement,” said Gregg Bender, TRC’s Director of Business Operations. “The kits will really be helpful, especially because (SWAT team members) sometimes put themselves in positions where hospitals and medical care isn’t readily available.”
The overall kit comes equipped with three different modules. Individuals with disabilities at TRC’s Work Centers sew the outer pouches, which house the kits. Then they vacuum-seal the plastic modules and assembled each kit. The first module includes minor first aid-items such as band-aids and burn gel. The second and third modules are a bit more advanced and come with heavier bandages and a one-handed tourniquet designed for combat.
“If one of the team members gets hurt, or even shot, the others need a way to take care of that person – or themselves, for that matter – before professional help arrives or is available,” Gregg said.
 |
| A woman assembles a first-aid kit at The Resource Center. |
To show their appreciation, Sgt. Butts and Jack VanZile, another member of the SWAT team, recently toured the Work Center and presented Gregg with a certificate thanking the group and recognizing the achievement.
“I was really surprised and impressed with what I saw,” said Sgt. Butts. “It’s all very organized. The donation shows that the participants are very capable of doing these jobs. They are learning a skill, and it’s important work.”
TRC has been assembling first-aid kits for the U.S. military since 2003, when the agency assembled 14,461 kits in less than one month so that every Marine crossing into Iraq from Kuwait at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom would be carrying a first-aid kit. In the first few days of the conflict, the kits were credited with saving the lives of five Marines.
“We hope the SWAT team never has to use them,” commented Gregg. “But the (individuals who assemble the kits) understand they are doing something that can save a life, and they’re proud of what they do.”