Delmar-Bethlehem EMS responds to nearly 4,000 medical assistance calls each year, but often, police reach the destination before EMS personnel does. Now, the Bethlehem Police Department is adding what it says is life-saving equipment to its force.

Delmar-Bethlehem EMS is providing each of the department's 25 squad cars with new patrol trauma response kits, totaling $2,000- $3,000. The departments announced the joint initiative Tuesday morning at the EMS South Station in Selkirk.

“Our partnership with the Bethlehem Police Department is very important to the chain of survival for people who are very ill or injured," said Steven Kroll, director of Delmar-Bethlehem EMS. "Certainly if the unforeseen terrible tragedy happens here, having these supplies will be helpful to us.”

It's all part of a nationwide campaign called 'Stop the Bleed,' which encourages people to learn what to do in case of a bleeding emergency, such as a car crash.