'Military-grade' bleed kits rolled out across 200 Edinburgh taxis

Around 200 taxis in Edinburgh have been fitted with military-grade emergency bandage kits for use in the crucial minutes after a serious accident, fall, or stabbing.

Charity Rapaid, which distributes the emergency bleed kits across the UK, says they can provide a vital lifeline by stemming blood loss before medical help arrives.

Founder Alex Chivers, who previously served in a police firearms unit and in the military, said he was determined to make the bandages available to the public after seeing how effective they were in frontline situations.

“When I first got issued these, I thought ‘Why have the public not got these?'” he told STV News.

“You can bleed to death in as little as five minutes with a serious haemorrhage. The faster your treatment, the better your chance of survival.”

Rapaid kits have been handed out to 200 taxis STV News

Each kit supplied by the charity contains sealed emergency bandages with a built-in pressure pad and tourniquet and easy-to-follow instructions – and no training is required to use them.

Taxis will also be offered stickers to display on their windscreen.

Alex said the kits were recently used after police officers were shot at in London’s King’s Cross.

“Someone ran out to a taxi rank, asking, ‘Does anyone have those taxis with the kits?’ They were handed a pack, and they dealt with the injury until help arrived.

“It was amazing to hear that it was able to save one life.

“Edinburgh is a lovely city – this is another layer of safety.”