A campaign to save lives by equipping black cabs with lifesaving bleed kits is to be rolled out to 160 Plymouth cabs, thanks to a £10,000 donation from global defence company Babcock International Group (Babcock) – one of the largest employers in the area, with thousands of workers based at its Devonport facility.

Bleed kit charity, RAPAID, has already installed more than 5000 kits in cabs across five other UK cities in a bid to put emergency bandages in permanent circulation so that they are on hand whenever and wherever they may be needed. Plymouth is the latest city to benefit, thanks to Babcock’s donation, which will enable an initial trial to be scaled up to 160 cabs.

Alex Chivers, who has served in the Special Forces and as a police fire arms officer, is the co-founder of RAPAID and has personally installed thousands of kits in cabs around the country. He explains: “The idea is that cabs are constantly moving around city centres and anyone can flag down a RAPAID kit and ask to use the kit. It takes just three to five minutes to bleed out, and anyone can use our military-style bandages to stop the bleed in seconds, using the simple instructions included. Just as defibrillators in public places can save lives and buy time in the event of a cardiac arrest, our kits can keep an injured person alive until the emergency services arrive.”

 Fred Thomas MP, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Moor View, is supportive of the Plymouth roll out. He said: "I'm delighted to see RAPAID rolled out here in Plymouth with the help of Babcock.

"This is a simple idea that could save lives during emergency response, and is an important addition to the work being done in our city to prevent crime and make our streets safer for residents."

Each kit contains hygienically sealed emergency bandages, which are specifically designed to stop a catastrophic bleed in the field, with a built in pressure pad and tourniquet. The paramedic-grade RAPAID bags also contain surgical gloves and easy-to-follow, laminated instructions, with step-by-step images to make it quick and simple for anyone to apply the bandages.

The RAPAID team installs the bandage kits inside participating cabs and applies a RAPAID sticker to the front and rear windows so that anyone can easily spot a cab carrying a bleed kit. They also explain the kit to the drivers, who have been very supportive of the initiative.

Alex continues: “The cab drivers do not need to use the kits themselves, the idea is that their vehicle is where the emergency bandages kit is kept for public use anywhere in the Plymouth area, as and when needed. This is vital first aid for any kind of accident or incident, including road traffic collisions, terror attacks, stabbings or falls.”

When Babcock heard about the success of RAPAID’s roll out of 2000 kits (and counting!) in black cabs in London the company was keen to support the initiative in Plymouth, home to its largest site, which  provides through-life support for submarines, surface ships and associated systems and equipment.

John Gane, Babcock’s Managing Director at Devonport, said: “When someone needs lifesaving treatment every second counts, so having these specialist kits readily available in taxis across Plymouth is so important. In line with our purpose to create a safe and secure world, we are proud to be supporting RAPAID.  Thanks to everyone involved with installing the kits and to all the taxi drivers for taking part in the scheme.”  

The first of the 160 RAPAID bleed kits are being installed in Plymouth cabs on 16th and 17th September, with the remainder being added to the city’s cabs over the coming weeks. Volunteers from Babcock will join the RAPAID team to install the kits over the two days. Members of the public are being urged to share pictures of RAPAID cabs on social media and spread the word so that everyone knows to hail a cab if they need to stop the bleed.

“We are so grateful to Babcock for helping us extend our work in Plymouth, which will help to make the city an even safer and more welcoming for everyone,” Alex adds.  “And, of course, we’re also thankful for the support of all the brilliant cabbies who, as in all the other cities where we have rolled out RAPAID kits so far, have been really enthusiastic about the initiative.”