Stop the Bleed

“Stop the Bleed” is a national campaign to educate people on how to save lives if people are severely bleeding. Over the last 2 years, the Kelly Brush Foundation has partnered with the Davis family and the national Stop the Bleed movement to provide “Stop the Bleed” training to coaches, athletes, officials and volunteers, and distribute life-saving bleeding control kits to alpine ski programs around the country.

Stop the Bleed Demonstrations

For an overview, please watch our recorded Stop the Bleed Demonstration at the link below. Participants will be shown how to deploy a bleeding control kit in the event of an on-hill laceration, but the session will not result in any certification for participants.  A variety of other organizations offer trainings–these include the American Red Cross and American College of Surgeons.

VIEW STOP THE BLEED DEMONSTRATION

 

Bleeding Control Kits

The Kelly Brush Foundation offers two Bleeding Control Kits to every alpine race program in the US. To request packs for your alpine club, please have a coach or program administrator complete the form at the link below. Please note this program is on temporary hold for the 2022-2023 season. 

Stop the Bleed Kits can be purchased at cost through our website.  Click here to order yours today!

3000+ Bleed Kits Distributed

200+ Instructions Conducted

2500+ People Trained

Frequently Asked Questions

What is "Stop the Bleed"?

Stop the Bleed is a national initiative of the American College of Surgeons. Their goal is to train more than 200 million people to prepare the public to save lives if people nearby are severely bleeding. You can learn more here.

What is a Stop the Bleed training?

A “Stop the Bleed” training is a brief instructional session on the proper use of a tourniquet and other actions to take in the event of a severe laceration. For more information on what a Stop the Bleed training entails, see the national Stop the Bleed training website here.

How do I schedule a Stop the Bleed training?

Shelley Davis, RN (mother of Jonathan Davis, whose life was saved on a race hill in 2018) is a Stop the Bleed instructor and has given hundreds of instructions specific to the ski racing community since her son’s injury in 2018. She has made herself available where possible.

Email Shelley at [email protected] to discuss training opportunities for your alpine ski community.

What is included in a Bleeding Control Kit?

A Bleeding Control Kit includes:

  • tourniquet (plus brief instructions)
  • compressed gauze
  • 2 rolled bandages
  • gloves
  • scissors
  • sharpie

Where do these Bleeding Control Kits come from?

The supplies are ordered by Shelley Davis (RN and mother of Jonathan Davis, whose life was saved on a race hill in 2018) through the University of Vermont Medical Center, then assembled by Green Mountain Valley School Students. They are then distributed by the Kelly Brush Foundation through links on this page.

These are all responsive measures, what about prevention?

While it’s obvious these injuries are becoming more common, the cause is less obvious. Potential causes include equipment changes as well as changes in tuning practices.

There are also attempts to manufacture cut resistant apparel, but nothing has come to market that will prevent these injuries. Short of full kevlar or metal clothing, nothing will ever be “cut proof”. The challenge in the ski racing world is that as apparel becomes more effectively “cut resistant”, it also restricts movement, especially in the areas that are most prone to severe bleeding (inner groin, back of the knee, etc.).

For an explanation on cut resistant levels, you can refer to this link which discusses the ANSI cut resistance levels as they relate to industrial work apparel.