Temple University Hospital program offers life-saving training

NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A new program at Temple University Hospital teaches residents in high-crime areas how to provide basic first-aid to gunshot victims.

The program conducts mock scenarios that often play out on the streets of North Philadelphia - one that Arlene Carrecter says she knows firsthand.

"I was running myself, ducking bullets myself, and then I looked on the side and I didn't know what to do; young man lying there and he's bleeding," said Carrecter. "Had I known this, I might have been able to save his life."

The training she's referring to is called "fighting chance."

"So that when they're standing by after somebody's been shot, they can do something rather than just kind of stand there and be upset," said Trauma Outreach Coordinator Scott Charles.

Residents get trained on how to stop bleeding from a bullet, moving someone quickly and safely until help arrives, etc.

Philadelphia police stats show of last year's 280 homicides, 236 were from gunshots.

So far this year, there have been 144 shooting victims.

Alice Kellal of Germantown and Louise Migg of North Philadelphia say the exercises are helping.

The two women are already putting their training to use, saying they recently aided an unresponsive man outside their rec center.

"If we hadn't had that, we wouldn't know how to get him up, but we beat the ambulance and everything," said Migg.

So far, officials say the program has helped train 80 residents. They're hoping to have more people trained before the summer.