After the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the use of tourniquets was credited with saving many lives. But until the past couple of years, tourniquets weren’t standard equipment for police and firefighters. They were low on the list of preferred responses to wound care; direct pressure on a wound was and still is the first option for stemming blood flow. But the experiences of combat medics in Iraq and Afghanistan, Jacobus said, showed the value of tourniquets, especially when time is short.

“Any injury can be devastating,” Jacobus told the group. “But we try to do the very best we can to stop the bleeding.”

Later, during the physical training, firefighters donned protective vests and helmets to practice going into a volatile situation, with an armed police officer leading the way. The gear is being added to the city’s fire trucks and ambulances.

Historically, firefighters and paramedics couldn’t enter an area until police had gone in and secured the scene, meaning injured and bleeding victims had to wait for help, said Assistant Fire Chief Shane Hunter.

“We can’t wait hours while people are in the corridor dying while we’re waiting for bad guys with guns to be removed,” Hunter said.