You're the One with the Bleed Kit

In some emergencies, a first responder may be a child. Following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, leaders developed a program called “Stop the Bleed,” which teaches civilians — including kids — how to administer first aid after a shooting. The program even supplies “bleed kits.”

“The people you see running in when everyone else is running out.”

That phrase has become a kind of street-level definition of first responders — firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other emergency personnel.

Sadly, some of us first heard that description on 9/11, when numerous first responders did indeed run into the burning towers to rescue victims. But as the buildings collapsed, they never had a chance to come back out. They are rightly honored for their sacrifice.

It remains true today that emergency response workers are quick to go into dangerous situations to help others. But in some cases, they are not quite the first responders. In some emergencies, that role is filled by whoever happens to be on the spot — sometimes, persons who are not trained professionals in emergency response. Maybe it’s a driver who witnesses a bad crash on the highway and stops to offer help. Or it’s a passerby who sees a house on fire and rushes in to...