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.