Rotary Club of Fort Myers South raises funds for mass causality kits

The Rotary Club of Fort Myers South is raising thousands of dollars for mass casualty kits, and each of them can treat 10 people.

The goal is to give two kits to each Lee County school, two for Florida Gulf University, two for Florida Southwestern State College, and two for Southwest Florida International Airport.

The organization says it’s imperative to get kits to these places.

“Once something tragic happens you have to go into like ‘safety mode,'” said mother Keila Miles. “They say like ‘mama bear’ mode when you’re trying to keep your kids safe.”

Every school in Florida is now staffed with at least one resource officer.

“So we’re ready in case something like this happens,” said Captain Michael Miller, of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. “We take it serious, so we have all our tools.”

Now, the Rotary Club of Fort Myers South wants to take it a step further.

“It made sense to provide some additional resources for those officers that are on site,” said Roger Mercado, of the Rotary Club of Fort Myers South.

The organization is working to raise more than $150,000 to put mass casualty kits in all Lee County schools.

Miller said stressed the importance of being ready for all situations.

“We have to gauge for the unexpected,” Miller said.

“Especially now lately there’s been like a whole lot of tragedies happening in the schools,” Miles said. “I think that’s a really good idea.”

This is just a small part of what would make up the mass casualty kit. 10 to 20 of the kits would be in the schools: there’s bandages, a tourniquet and a stop clot, which can stop bleeding in less than two seconds.

“We can actually treat multiple people and minimize the loss of life or serious injury,” Miller said.

The idea is for the school resource officers to start treating the wounded before help arrives. Something that puts parents at ease.

“Just because you don’t have kids, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help out. It’s a community thing,” Miles said.

To donate, you can visit the Rotary website. You can also find more information on their main event page.