Bartlesville Non-Profit Donates Bleed Kits To Oklahoma First Responders

Several first responders are better equipped for emergencies.

First responders are called to critical situations daily and having one of these kits on hand can not only helps a victim, but a first responder as well.

Project Tribute Foundation is a local non-profit created in 2021. Jon Beckloff, founder of Project Tribute Foundation, says they support first responders by providing them with life-saving training, equipment, tools, and support. They have raised money and received donations since they were founded and recently received a new donation.

"We had a donation of $22,000 from the Lyon Foundation and what it is for is to buy these bleed kits," Beckloff said.

Beckloff says his organization was able to buy 500 kits with the donation. The bleeding control kits comes with a tourniquet, gauze, gloves, trauma shears, trauma dressing and a survival blanket.

"They're for every first responder in Osage County, Nowata County, and Washington County. We have pick-ups such as today so here is about 7,000 worth of kits," Beckloff said.

He says the goal is to supply smaller agencies with the equipment they need. Pick-ups were at Project Tribute, the Nowata Firehouse, and Osage County Sheriff’s Office. James Smith, a Bartlesville paramedic, says he's thankful for Project Tribute's support.

"It benefits us greatly because if we get injured, we can use this kit on ourselves or we can use it for the patients we treat in the back of the ambulance," Smith said.

The items in the kits help give more time for someone who has been injured. Beckloff says seven lives have been saved from using this kit.

"If you have an on-the-job injury and you lose a limb for example or you’re shot, something where you have a large blood loss event, these kits allow a first responder to arrive and they can stop the bleeding through the tourniquet, through the gauze," Beckloff said.

Project Tribute says they will replace these kits any time after being used.