BLANCHESTER — The Blanchester School District was recently awarded a School Safety and Security Grant from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC).

According to a release from Superintendent Dean Lynch, the grant dollars are earmarked to replace the district’s outdated First Aid Kits with six Rapid Response Trauma Kits and thirty C-A-T 7 Tourniquets.

District Nurse Linda Miller said, “According to the national ‘Stop the Bleed’ campaign through Homeland Security, uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma. Bystanders can help save lives during emergencies by being equipped with proper training and vital resources. This grant will enable us to have more of those vital resources available to help optimize our success in effective and timely response to school emergencies.”

According to Lynch, an assessment of their first aid kits across the district found they’re not equipped to handle a mass casualty situation.

“We have taken advantage of funding opportunities through the Ohio BWC to upgrade our equipment in an effort to provide for our students and employees a safer school and work environment,” said Lynch.