EMS Week Save-a-Life Day: STOP THE BLEED®

STOP THE BLEED® Day takes place May 25, 2023, to support the STOP THE BLEED® campaign, currently one of the largest public health initiatives in the United States. The campaign is aimed at directly saving lives—through an effort to increase public awareness and encourage people and organizations across the United States to get trained with life-saving STOP THE BLEED® techniques so they can be ready to take action and stop everyday instances of life-threatening bleeding in their homes and communities. First responders have been particularly active supporters of the campaign.

Experts say it takes between three to five minutes to die from blood loss. Seven to 10 minutes is the average EMS response time.

Why it Matters

The STOP THE BLEED® campaign is critically important because incidents like mass shootings or natural disasters, along with everyday accidents, whether on the playground, the freeway, or in the kitchen, could expose people to life-threatening bleeding. It’s imperative that people become aware of this, because in many cases, death from blood loss is preventable. Properly trained, anyone can STOP THE BLEED® until professional help arrives. Remember, 35% of prehospital deaths are due to blood loss, and traumatic injury is the leading cause of death for people below age 46.

Take Action Now

There are a variety of actions individuals and organizations can take on STOP THE BLEED® Day. Anyone can participate in the just released “Would You Know?” initiative.

“Would You Know?” is shorthand for “Would You Know What to Do If Someone Has Life Threatening Bleeding?” It’s a question that has driven enormous interest in STOP THE BLEED® . To learn how, visit https://stopthebleedproject.org/would-you-know/

STOP THE BLEED® Grant Program

The grants consist of US Department of Defense-licensed STOP THE BLEED® equipment and are designed for organizations seeking to enhance their ability to address a bleeding emergency through training and the installation of public safety infrastructure. Grants are valued up to $100,000. Applications are now open to eligible U.S.-based organizations. Visit the Grant page for more information about the types of grants available or to apply.

One of the grants is for the STOP THE BLEED® Station, an innovative mix of necessary public safety infrastructure and digital outdoor media. Designed as a “forward operating post,” these stations are highly accessible safety beacons, providing communities with a centralized hub for emergency response. Each station's response cabinet includes five grab-and-go STOP THE BLEED® Response Belts with military-grade tourniquets and hemostatic dressings. Also a 2-in-1 breaching tool to force entry, 2 ballistic shields for law enforcement protection, a power bank to connect electronics, adjustable shelving, whiteboard and interior LED lighting. The Station grant consists of one STOP THE BLEED® Station, delivery and installation at the grantee's location and 3 years of operating costs.

The US Department of Defense (“DoD”) STOP THE BLEED® program is a public health campaign designed to train and equip private citizens to be able to save the lives of people who have suffered a traumatic injury involving severe blood loss. It has wide support across public and private sector organizations and individuals committed to saving lives. Now in its 6th year, STOP THE BLEED® Day is supported by over 1000 organizations, including the following:

• United States Department of Homeland Security
• Stop the Bleeding Coalition
• The American Red Cross
• American College of Surgeons
• National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health
• American College of Emergency Medicine

Visit stopthebleedproject.org for more information about STOP THE BLEED® Day and other STOP THE BLEED® programs.