University Hospitals Partners with Law Enforcement to Make Blood Available to Area SWAT Team

WESTLAKE, Ohio - University Hospitals is collaborating with firefighters, medics, and law enforcement to launch a program believed to be the first of its kind in Ohio in which SWAT medics can administer blood to wounded people at the scene of a shooting.

The Westshore Enforcement Bureau (WEB) SWAT team now has access to units of blood they take with them when called to a scene. WEB is made up of police officers and firefighter-paramedics from Bay Village, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Rocky River and Westlake. They are called out to high-risk scenarios, such as hostage standoffs or arresting someone considered armed and dangerous.

“When someone has uncontrolled internal bleeding, giving blood can help keep them alive long enough to get hemorrhage control at the hospital,” said Dr. Jordan Singer, who serves as medical director for the SWAT team. “Rather than wait to get them to the hospital to get blood, this gives it to them in the field as close to the time of injury as possible.”

Media are invited to a training session on Thursday, July 10 at 10 a.m. at 27216 Hilliard Blvd., Westlake (next to the Westlake Police Department). In addition to interviews, media will be able to see demonstration of blood administration during a mock casualty scenario.

The WEB SWAT team underwent training in February at UH St. John’s Medical Center on how to access and dispense the blood. The team has been activated several times since then.

When the SWAT team is activated, WEB paramedics will alert the blood bank at UH St. John’s. They can pick up two units of blood that will stay chilled in special coolers for up to 36 hours. The blood is returned to UH if it’s not used. If someone is wounded, the police officer, suspect or bystander will be given the blood on scene and transported to the nearest trauma center.

North Olmsted Fire Lt. Shaun Kibler said less than 250 fire/EMS departments across the country have an active blood program, and he believes this is the first in Ohio to go active.

“WEB SWAT now has the capability to have blood products on hand at the point of injury during every operation,” Lt. Kibler said. “Our program went live on March 3, and we have had multiple successful activations since. No casualties or injuries were sustained during these operations. We are believed to be the first paramedics working pre-hospital in the state of Ohio to have a program such as this.”

“The WEB SWAT TEMS Program maintains a steadfast dedication to providing the best tactical damage control resuscitation to injured casualties in high-threat environments,” Lt. Kibler said. “We could not have achieved this without the tremendous support from the UH St. John Medical Center’s Blood Bank and the UH EMS Training and Disaster Preparedness Institute.”