CHICAGO: Chicago residents and visitors now have access to lifesaving STOP THE BLEED® kits at 350 buildings around the city as part of the OEMC’s Safe Chicago initiative, which includes the installation of more than 550 STOP THE BLEED® kits at these locations. OEMC is partnering with American College of Surgeons to elevate online training opportunities that are available for 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 has partnered with the American College of Surgeons (ACS) STOP THE BLEED® program to ensure the city is well-equipped for bleeding emergencies. The City has installed bleeding control kits at City facilities and is in the process of rolling out in-person training courses for City employees.  These tools and training 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 350 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 city and better prepare our city employees and residents for emergency incidents.”

The Safe Chicago program will provide bleeding control kits at every occupied, City-owned, or leased facility. Prominent locations with kits already in place include Navy Pier, City Hall, Chicago Public Library locations, the Chicago Cultural Center, and other sites. Each kit installed in the city is equipped with the following materials:

• 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 an online interactive course.

"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.

In addition to the widespread placement of bleeding control kits, the City is in the process of rolling out in-person training for all municipal employees. The course will include two components: a lecture portion and a hands-on skills portion.

For now, members of the public can 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.

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About the City of Chicago's Office of Emergency Management & Communications

The Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) oversees several functions that support public safety and provides assistance to residents 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The OEMC manages the following operational areas for the city: 9-1-1 call taking and dispatch; the 3-1-1 call center; emergency management; and traffic management. The OEMC coordinates with departments citywide, including the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Fire Department, in addition to various other local, state, and federal agencies as it relates to public safety planning and coordination for everything from large-scale special events to public safety emergencies and disasters.

About the American College of Surgeons 

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 84,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. “FACS” designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.