Mountain View High School students learn how to treat gunshot wounds

EL PASO, Texas -- Mountian View High School students learned life-saving skills at the Stop the Bleed event from State Certified EMTs.

ProAction taught students how to treat gunshot wound victims. The students were taught how to use improvisational materials as well as how to stop a victim from bleeding out before emergency help arrives.

Students learned how to apply direct pressure, wound packing, and the proper way to use a tourniquet. Pro-action says given the recent tragedy in Uvalde, this training has become more important than ever and their goal is to teach techniques that will take students from bystanders to rescuers.

ProAction says they are providing this program as a direct response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

“Like the rest of the nation, we are saddened and enraged about the children and teachers killed in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting. It’s not possible to understand why anyone would kill children who are supposed to be safe inside their school. What we can do in response is arm students with the skills to save lives in school mass shootings," said Dusty Warden, ProAction director of operations.

Students at Mountain View felt the training hit close to home given the recent shootings.

"It does frighten me but learning makes me feel more prepared now like I would be able to know what to do in any situation," said Karla Trejo.

Brandon De La Rosa practiced an emergency simulation with his classmate. "She was bleeding out from her leg so while I was packing they were putting on the tourniquet and I mean it's a rush even just practicing I could feel the adrenaline," said De La Rosa a freshman at Mountain View.

He says the training he got will help him save lives. "I feel like if something were to happen hopefully not but if something were to happen I could be more helpful to the people who are injured or could possibly be hurt," said De La Rosa.

He says he feels better prepared. "I feel now I have a clear view of how it is to help people and how it is to face those kinds of things," said De La Rosa

He says the Stop the Bleed training made him feel safer going to school. "I feel it has boosted my confidence when it comes to helping people," said De La Rosa. "Anyone can get hurt and can get injured and have an injury and some people aren't trained for that and I hope that schools look at this and start this because I feel every student needs to be trained."

They are offering the training year-round to El Paso students and teachers free of charge, focusing on school mass shootings. If you're interested in taking part in this program you can click the link to the pro-action website here.