CHICAGO (March 1, 2022): Chicago residents and visitors now have access to lifesaving STOP THE BLEED® kits as the city expands its Safe Chicago initiative, which includes the addition of more than 550 STOP THE BLEED® kits in more than 350 locations around the city. Furthermore, new training opportunities are now available for municipal employees and the public to learn the lifesaving techniques taught in a STOP THE BLEED® training course.
By taking a STOP THE BLEED® course, participants gain the ability to recognize life-threatening bleeding and intervene effectively. Through three simple techniques—applying direct pressure, packing a wound, or applying a tourniquet—anyone can become an immediate responder and potentially be the difference between life and death for someone who is bleeding.
Safe Chicago is a public safety program launched by Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) in partnership with the Chicago Fire Department (CFD), Chicago Police Department (CPD), and Assets, Information & Services (AIS). OEMC partnered with the American College of Surgeons (ACS) STOP THE BLEED® program to ensure the city is well-equipped for bleeding emergencies. The installation of bleeding control kits, in addition to the all-encompassing safety training program under Safe Chicago, will equip municipal employees with the safety information and resources they need to be better prepared in the event of a workplace incident and to act before help arrives.
"OEMC created Safe Chicago in coordination with our public safety partners to improve the safety of Chicago residents, city employees, and visitors by making life-saving equipment readily available at more than 550 City facilities and most recently at Navy Pier and City Colleges of Chicago locations," said Rich Guidice, OEMC Executive Director. "Our partnership with the American College of Surgeons and the STOP THE BLEED® program will increase the readiness capabilities of our great city and foster a sense of safety and emergency preparedness throughout the city."
As Chicagoans and visitors enjoy the many attractions the city has to offer, they can now be assured a kit to control bleeding is nearby. Many types of bleeding emergencies can happen at any time during activities of daily living, whether at home, on the road, or in a public place. The more people who are trained to STOP THE BLEED®, the more likely it will be that a bystander will be able to act quickly and effectively to save a life when a bleeding emergency occurs.
"STOP THE BLEED® is a simple, yet powerful tool that can empower anyone to save a life. We are proud to partner with the City of Chicago to help keep our city safe by providing training and making these lifesaving kits and knowledge more widely available and easily accessible," said Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, Executive Director of the American College of Surgeons.
- Tourniquet
- Gauze
- Shears
- Gloves
- and an Instruction Manual
All kits will have an ACS and OEMC combined logo sticker with a QR code that links to the online interactive course.
In addition to the widespread placement of bleeding control kits, municipal employees will have access to STOP THE BLEED® training opportunities through the city. The course includes two sections, a lecture portion, and a hands-on skills portion.
Members of the public can now take a virtual or interactive STOP THE BLEED® course to fulfill the lecture portion of the course. The interactive course—free to all and can be taken multiple times to learn and refresh knowledge—takes approximately 25 minutes to complete and guides individuals through the three methods of bleeding control using video demonstrations, interactive learning, and spontaneous quizzes.
"Everyone should learn how to STOP THE BLEED®. By incorporating STOP THE BLEED® into their Safe Chicago program, the City of Chicago is setting an example for all cities in how to be prepared for an emergency and reduce the number of preventable deaths among its citizens and visitors," said Kenji Inaba, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Chair of the ACS Committee on Trauma STOP THE BLEED® Steering Committee.
STOP THE BLEED® was launched in October of 2015 by the White House, with a call to action to begin training more people to become immediate responders during a bleeding emergency until professional help arrives. The ACS STOP THE BLEED® program is operated under a licensing agreement granted by the Department of Defense.
More information is available at Chicago.gov/OEMC, and the STOP THE BLEED® website has details on how to get trained.
