Stop the Bleed teaches participants basic life-saving medical interventions, including bleeding control with a tourniquet, bleeding control with gauze packs or topical hemostatic agents, and opening an airway to allow a casualty to breathe. The course is designed for NONtactical law enforcement officers, firefighters, security personnel, teachers, and other civilians requiring this basic training.

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The Stop the Bleed course was developed by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians’ Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (NAEMT PHTLS) Committee, with leadership provided by Dr. Peter Pons and Dr. Norman McSwain.

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The course was developed in response to efforts by the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to increase collaboration between law enforcement, the fire service, and EMS in responding to active shooter/IED/mass casualty events. Stop the Bleed is consistent with the recommendations of the Hartford Consensus on Improving Survival from Active Shooter Events. The Hartford Consensus recommends that an integrated active shooter response should include the critical actions contained in the acronym THREAT:

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1. Threat
2. Hemorrhage control
3. Rapid Extrication to safety
4. Assessment by medical providers
5. Transport to definitive care

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The Hartford Consensus Group recommends that the response to a traumatic incident, whether involving an active shooter or some other cause of injury, in fact, begins with a bystander response. It is with this in mind that the B-Con course was developed and is now being offered.

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This new 2 ½ hour course teaches participants the basic life-saving medical interventions, including bleeding control with a tourniquet, bleeding control with gauze packs or topical hemostatic agents, and opening an airway to allow a casualty to breathe. The course is designed for NON tactical law enforcement officers, firefighters, security personnel, teachers and other civilians requiring this basic training.

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A separate, additional module is available specifically for law enforcement participants.  This module provides an orientation to the content of the Hartford Consensus and the changing approach to active shooter and other complex and hazardous responses.

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At the completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the rationale for early use of a tourniquet for life-threatening extremity bleeding.
• Demonstrate the appropriate application of a tourniquet to the arm and leg.
• Describe the progressive strategy for controlling hemorrhage.
• Describe appropriate airway control techniques and devices.
• Demonstrate the correct application of a topical hemostatic dressing (combat gauze).