September is National Preparedness Month, a time when we all come together to ensure that our communities, workplaces, and homes are ready for emergencies. The STOP THE BLEED® campaign believes that preparedness is not just about stocking up on supplies—it’s about empowering individuals with the skills they need to save lives.
Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death from trauma.
It only takes an average of 3-5 minutes for a person to bleed out, yet it takes an average of 7-10 minutes for first responders to arrive on the scene.
This means it is crucial to make sure people are prepared to step in and save a life if they encounter a life-threatening bleed.
Emergencies can happen in the blink of an eye, are you and your loved ones prepared?
Preparedness Starts at Home, the 2025 theme, focuses on getting back to the essentials of preparedness. Here are four key actions you can take to prepare for any disaster you may face:
Know your risk
Know what could happen where you and your family live. This helps you figure out what you need to do to stay safe. You can explore various disasters and emergencies on Ready.gov.
Make a family emergency plan
Making a plan early helps you reduce stress and save time and money. Follow four easy steps and create a free Family Emergency Plan quickly and easily with our fillable form.
Disasters are costly but preparing for them doesn’t have to be. Taking time to prepare now can help save you thousands of dollars and give you peace of mind when the next disaster or emergency occurs. Visit Ready.gov’s low and no-cost tip page to see how you can be better prepared without spending a lot of money.
Build an emergency supply kit
Having enough food, water and medicine can help you stay safe and comfortable until help arrives. Having what you need can also prevent injury and damage to your home.
Build a go-bag with all the essentials you might need, so you don’t need to scramble in an evacuation situation. Find a list of supplies at Build A Kit.
Get involved in your community by taking a STOP THE BLEED® class
Emergencies can happen fast, and emergency responders aren’t always nearby. You may be able to save a life by learning STOP THE BLEED® skills to save someone’s life in the case of a life-threatening bleed.
Get a STOP THE BLEED® Kit
In addition to preparing an Emergency Supply Kit, we encourage you to purchase a Department of Defense Licensed STOP THE BLEED® Kit for your family to make sure you have all of the tools at hand to stop a life-threatening bleed.
We only offer military grade Department of Defense approved STOP THE BLEED® Kits.
Why?
In the event of a bleeding emergency, you want to know that you have equipment that will work. There is cheaper equipment in the marketplace, but if you want to have confidence that the equipment you purchase will work when someone’s life is at stake, make sure it carries the STOP THE BLEED® mark. If it doesn’t say STOP THE BLEED®, it might not work when the time comes.
