When seconds matter: FDNY brings lifesaving ‘Stop the Bleeding’ training to Brooklyn

A medical emergency or shooting can unfold without warning — and as paramedic response times grow longer, New Yorkers are being urged to step in. On Tuesday, Nov. 18, the FDNY brought lifesaving training directly to Brownsville’s Van Dyke Community Center, hosting its first annual “Stop the Bleeding” campaign to prepare residents to act before help arrives.

The campaign is designed to help victims suffering from cardiac events or gunshot wounds receive immediate aid.

FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said the department is “empowered by giving people something to do in an emergency, rather than just standing around when you see someone in need.” He added that they accomplish this by teaching life-saving skills “with confidence.”

“Leading this is critical,” he said, “and it reflects our mission of protecting lives by equipping communities tools to act before health arise.”

FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker speaks to residents at the “Stop the Bleeding” event in Brownsville, urging the community to step in and save lives during emergencies.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Participants received a brief presentation before beginning hands-on training. They practiced applying a tourniquet to control bleeding from an artery.

Even though shootings in Brownsville’s 73rd Precinct are down by more than 40% this year (as of Nov. 9), recent NYPD data shows felony assaults are up nearly 27% year to date — 723 incidents so far, compared with 571 in the same period in 2024.

Community members learn how to apply tourniquets and other lifesaving techniques at a new FDNY training event.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

With emergency response times growing longer, FDNY trains neighbors to save lives before help arrives.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Against that backdrop, Brownsville In Violence Out’s program director, Dushoun Almond, said the program is especially meaningful for his group.

“This initiative means a lot to us because it took the fact things that take place in our communities are mostly, I hate to say it, gunshots, knobs, stabbings — things that cause you to bleed,” he said. “We can just imagine, if people had the knowledge on stopping the bleed, how many lives they could save. So for us, it’s tremendous for everybody to get this training. It’s what matters most to us.”

Organizers say they hope the training stays with participants, but that it won’t be needed anytime soon.