Stop the Bleed

No matter how fast professional emergency responders arrive, bystanders will always be first on the scene. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, therefore it is important to quickly stop the blood loss. Those nearest to someone with life threatening injuries are best positioned to provide first care.

You may be able to save a life by taking these simple actions right after the trauma.

If you would like to take a course to prepare yourself to help injured people following a traumatic event, contact your local public health department, hospitals and clinics, emergency medical services, or fire and police departments to see if they offer any training.

You can also look for local classes on the Bleeding Control, Community Emergency Response Teams, and Medical Reserve Corps websites.

• You are the Help Until Help Arrives
• Bleeding Control for the Injured
• First Care Provider 
• First Aid for Severe Trauma: Course and digital materials offered at no charge to high school students under the age of 19, thanks to a grant from the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate.

1. Pick a training curriculum and affiliate with that organization, such as:
   1. The American College of Surgeons Bleeding Control Basics course (often called B-Con)
   2. The First Care Provider organization's suite of courses
   3. The You Are the Help Until Help Arrives suite of courses (a joint program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, FEMA, and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences)
   4. American Red Cross First Aid for Severe Trauma
2. Identify available instructors (or become trained as an instructor yourself)
3. Advertise to staff, colleagues, friends, family, and the public
4. Start training!