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TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-17-160 SO AS TO REQUIRE THE PLACEMENT OF BLEEDING CONTROL KITS IN ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, TO SPECIFY THE REQUIRED CONTENTS OF BLEEDING CONTROL KITS, TO REQUIRE CERTAIN TRAINING OF DISTRICT EMPLOYEES WHO ARE REASONABLY EXPECTED TO USE BLEEDING CONTROL KITS, TO INTEGRATE USE OF BLEEDING CONTROL KITS INTO DISTRICT EMERGENCY PLANS AND EMERGENCY DRILLS, TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING THE USE AND MAINTENANCE OF BLEEDING CONTROL KITS, AND TO PROVIDE CERTAIN IMMUNITY FROM CIVIL LIABILITY RELATED TO THESE REQUIREMENTS.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Chapter 17, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 59-17-160. (A) For purposes of this chapter, 'bleeding control kit' means a first aid response kit that contains at least all of the following:
(1) one tourniquet;
(2) two compressed gauze dressings that are inspected for replacement no less than every three years;
(3) one trauma dressing;
(4) nitrile gloves;
(5) scissors;
(6) other medical materials and equipment similar to those described in items (1) to (3), inclusive, and any additional items that:
(a) are approved by local law enforcement or first responders;
(b) can adequately treat a traumatic injury; and
(c) can be stored in a readily available kit; and
(7) instructional documents developed by the State Department of Education based upon the Stop the Bleed national awareness campaign of the United States Department of Homeland Security.
(B) Subject to appropriations by the General Assembly, each school district shall develop and implement a 'Stop the Bleed' program meeting the requirements of this section for each public school in the district beginning with the 2018-2019 School Year. The program must include provisions that:
(1) require bleeding control kits be assigned to designated rooms in universal and easily accessible locations to be determined through the school district safety director or local first responders;
(2) include bleeding control kits in the emergency plans of the district and schools in the district, including the presentation and use of the kits in all drills and emergencies;
(3) require all district employees who are reasonably expected to use a bleeding control kit, as determined by the district superintendent or his designee, to obtain appropriate training in the use of the kit, including the proper application of pressure to stop bleeding, the application of dressings, bandages, additional pressure techniques to control bleeding, along with the correct application of tourniquets;
(4) includes bleeding control kits in school inventories to be annually inspected with school inventories to ensure that materials, supplies, and equipment contained in the bleeding control kit are not expired, and replace any expired materials, supplies, and equipment as necessary; and
(5) restock a bleeding control kit after each use and replace any materials, supplies, and equipment as necessary to ensure that all materials, supplies, and ensure the kit contains all required equipment.
(C) The department shall develop training for the use of bleeding control kits, which the department may satisfy by using online training available from the American College of Surgeons or another similar organization.
(D)(1) A person or entity acting in good faith and gratuitously is immune from civil liability for the use of a bleeding control kit unless his is grossly negligent in its use.
(2) A designated bleeding control kit user meeting the requirements of subsection (B) and acting according to the required training is immune from civil liability for the application of a bleeding control kit unless the application was grossly negligent.
(3) A person or entity acquiring a bleeding control kit and meeting the requirements of this section is immune from civil liability for the use of the bleeding control kit by any person or entity described in items (1) or (2)."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2018.
This web page was last updated on February 22, 2018 at 12:34 PM