Today is National STOP THE BLEED day, when everyone is encouraged to become an immediate responder in a bleeding emergency that results from an accident or incident. Whether at work, home, or in public, knowing how to control bleeding can make a life-or-death difference when the need arises.
Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma, according to the American College of Surgeons. At its STOP THE BLEED website, visitors can access numerous resources on this topic, including information on the various ways to control bleeding. The website also offers information on STOP THE BLEED courses, including those that are in person, online, and interactive. Success stories posted to the website describe how people saved the lives of others by applying the principles described in STOP THE BLEED training and other resources. These stories include in a school setting, involving an eight-grade student who had taken a STOP THE BLEED class two weeks prior to the incident, and during the 2017 shooting at a Las Vegas music concert. One of the stories also describes how a university deployed STOP THE BLEED kits around its campus, one of which was accessed and successfully used for a gunshot victim. In addition to accessing the website, WaterISAC has posted STOP THE BLEED resources below, which include a poster than can be displayed in the workplace. Read more at STOP THE BLEED.