RADFORD – The Radford City Police Department is offering a free course to the public designed to give
life-saving skills.
“This in-person course of Civilian Response and Casualty Care (CRCC) provides a coordinated effort
through a ‘whole community approach’ to establish stakeholders within the community and empower
citizens to become ‘Immediate Responders’ who do what they can, where they are, with what they have
to work with until first responders arrive,” states a description of the class. “This course uses the basics of
Avoid, Deny, and Defend to teach against an active attack, and also how to provide life-saving medical
aid to the injured from the Stop the Bleed campaign.”
In a Stop the Bleed course, participants will learn three quick techniques to help save a life before
someone bleeds out: How to use your hands to apply pressure to a wound; how to pack a wound to
control bleeding; and how to correctly apply a tourniquet.
These three techniques will empower participants to assist in an emergency and potentially save a life.
The course is for people who are interested in learning this lifesaving skill. The course, by the American
College of Surgeons, has trained over one million people including students, teachers, and community
groups.
The second part of the course will teach participants the Avoid, Deny, and Defend method of self-
defense. AVOID starts with individuals’ state of mind. They should pay attention to their surroundings.
They should have an exit plan. They should move away from the source of the threat as quickly as
possible, and the more distance and barriers between them and the threat, the better.
DENY when getting away is difficult or maybe impossible. Persons keep distance between themselves
and the source. Create barriers to prevent or slow down a threat from getting to them. Turn the lights off.
Remain out of sight and quiet by hiding behind large objects and silencing their phones.
DEFEND because people have the right to protect themselves. Persons who cannot avoid or deny should
be prepared to defend themselves. Be aggressive and committed to their actions. Do not fight fairly. This
is about survival.
Persons interested in taking the course can sign up at www.radford.va.us. It will be held on Sept. 14,
2021, with the choice of a morning (8 a.m. until noon or an afternoon (1 p.m. to 5 p.m.) session.
