Need help right now?
If someone needs immediate help with heavy bleeding, use emergency mode.
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DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Severe bleeding that needs immediate pressure.
The essentials if you need to act right now.
Press hard on the wound. Do not stop. Call for help.
What might I see? Observable signs — no diagnosis required.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Heavy bleeding: blood soaks through dressings quickly, spurts, or pools on the ground.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Signs of shock: pale skin, cold sweat, confusion, rapid weak pulse, dizziness.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If bleeding is heavy, act immediately. Do not wait for it to stop on its own.
Optional deeper explanation — not required to act.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Blood is leaving the body faster than the body can clot. This can lead to shock and death.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Arterial bleeding spurts with the heartbeat. Venous bleeding flows steadily. Both can be life-threatening.
Check the scene before you approach.
Other · CRITICAL
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do not remove blood-soaked dressings — add more on top and keep pressing.
Do not: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do not peel off soaked gauze to look at the wound.
Instead: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Layer fresh dressings over the soaked ones and maintain firm pressure.
Other · CAUTION
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Wear gloves if available to reduce infection risk from contact with blood.
Instead: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If no gloves, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water afterward.
Civilian-safe actions you can take.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Apply direct, firm pressure on the wound with a clean cloth or gauze.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call 112 or tell someone to call while you maintain pressure.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do not remove the first dressing if it becomes soaked — add more on top.
When and how to get professional help.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call 112. Put the phone on speaker so your hands stay on the wound.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Say: Emergency. Severe bleeding. Location: [address]. What happened: [brief description]. Help given: direct pressure applied. Do not hang up.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Stay on the line. The dispatcher may guide you through wound packing or tourniquet use.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — All heavy bleeding requires emergency medical care. Call 112 immediately.
Useful questions before or while you help.
Dangerous actions, when not to attempt rescue, and common myths.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT remove blood-soaked dressings — add more layers on top and keep pressing.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT apply butter, dirt, or powders to the wound.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Instead, maintain direct pressure and seek professional help immediately.
Step-by-step questions to help you decide what to do.
Emergency mode includes an interactive decision guide that walks you through key questions for this situation.
Open emergency guideChild, infant, elderly, and other variations.
This variant requires independent expert review before publication
How to Help Someone Else
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Use one hand for smaller limbs. Press firmly but avoid excessive force on small bones.
This variant requires independent expert review before publication
First 10 Seconds
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Ask: Are you taking blood thinners? Tell emergency services when you call.
What you can do before an emergency happens.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Take a STOP THE BLEED or first aid course. Practice applying pressure and tourniquets.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Keep a first aid kit with gauze, trauma dressings, and gloves at home and in your car.
Check your understanding with recognition and action questions.
Question 1 · action-first
Someone is bleeding heavily from their arm. What should you do first?
Feedback: Apply direct firm pressure to the wound and do not let go. This is the most important action to control severe bleeding.
Question 2 · do-not
When controlling heavy bleeding, what should you avoid?
Feedback: Do not lift the pressure to check. Removing pressure allows bleeding to restart. Keep pressing until help arrives.
Question 3 · recognition
Which situation needs emergency help for bleeding?
Feedback: When blood soaks through despite firm pressure, this is a sign of severe bleeding that needs emergency medical help.
Reusable skills connected to this situation.
Am I safe?
Recognize hazards before you help. Do not become another casualty.
Call for help
WHERE → WHAT → HOW MANY → DANGER → CONDITION → CALLBACK.
Stop the bleeding
Pressure, escalation, equipment/no-equipment approach.
Protect yourself
Barrier concepts without preventing appropriate assistance.
Where this guidance comes from.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Keep pressing hard and continuously. Do not peek to check if bleeding stopped.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If possible, elevate the injured limb above heart level while maintaining pressure.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Lay the person down if they feel faint. Keep them warm with a blanket if available.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If direct pressure does not control bleeding on a limb, apply a tourniquet 2–3 inches above the wound.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — For deep wounds (especially neck, groin, or abdomen), pack gauze into the wound and press firmly.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Note the time a tourniquet was applied. Tell emergency responders.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Ask consent if possible: "You are bleeding. I want to press on the wound to stop it. Can I help?"
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Press hard on the wound with both hands. Use a clean cloth, gauze, or clothing if available.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If others are present: one person presses, one calls 112, one finds more dressings.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If you are bleeding heavily, apply direct pressure yourself. Use your other hand or press against a firm surface.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call 112 on speakerphone. Shout for help from others nearby.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If no gauze is available, use a clean shirt, towel, or any absorbent fabric.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Bare hands with direct pressure can save a life when no dressing is available. Wash hands afterward.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Sterile gauze pads and trauma dressings absorb blood and help clotting.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — A commercial tourniquet (CAT, SOF-T, or equivalent) controls limb bleeding when pressure fails.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Pressure bandages hold dressings in place so you can free your hands.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Use clothing or a towel. Press hard with both hands directly on the wound.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Improvise a tourniquet only as a last resort for limb bleeding: belt or strip of fabric, tightened firmly above the wound.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Absorbs blood and provides a surface for direct pressure.
Clothing or towel
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Stops uncontrolled bleeding on limbs when direct pressure is insufficient.
Improvised belt or fabric strip (last resort)
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Secures dressings so pressure continues without holding manually.
Tape and gauze
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Even if bleeding slows, the person needs hospital evaluation for blood loss and wound care.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do not approach if the scene is unsafe — active violence, fire, or unstable structures.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call 112 from a safe distance. Guide the injured person to apply pressure themselves if possible.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Myth: "Use a tourniquet only as a last resort." Reality: Modern guidance supports early tourniquet use for uncontrolled limb bleeding.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Myth: "Put butter on wounds." Reality: Butter introduces bacteria and does not stop bleeding.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Use a tourniquet only as a last resort
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Modern hemorrhage control guidance supports early tourniquet use when direct pressure fails on a limb.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Delaying tourniquet use while blood loss continues can be fatal.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Put butter on wounds to stop bleeding
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Direct pressure with clean dressings is the correct approach. Butter causes infection.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Home remedies delay effective bleeding control and introduce contamination.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Helping someone with severe bleeding is stressful. Shaking and emotional distress afterward are normal.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Wash your hands and any exposed skin thoroughly after contact with blood.
Ask before helping
Who I am → What I see → What I want to do → Can I help you?