STOP THE BLEED® Site Kit Audit (2026): Build a Real Bleeding-Control Program, Not a Box on the Wall

Eyebrow: WORKPLACE / SCHOOL

If you’re responsible for a building—school, church, warehouse, office, clinic—your bleeding-control gear is either (1) a real capability, or (2) a comforting decoration.

STOP THE BLEED® is pushing hard on the truth that minutes matter: severe bleeding can kill fast, and professional help often arrives after the window to prevent death has already closed (STOP THE BLEED® press release).

This article is a no-BS site kit audit you can run in one afternoon—then turn into a program your people can execute under stress.

Who this is for

• Workplace safety leads and EHS managers
• School administrators and athletic directors
• Church safety / usher teams
• Security supervisors
• Any organization that already bought kits…and isn’t sure they’d work when it counts

The outcome you want (plain language)

1. The right gear (not cheap look-alikes)
2. The right placement (where bleeding happens, not where it’s convenient)
3. The right people trained (hands-on, refreshed)
4. A simple decision path that survives adrenaline

Step 1 — Audit your risk: where does major bleeding happen in your building?

Most sites buy one wall box and call it done. Real planning starts with where catastrophic bleeding is plausible:

• Industrial / warehouse: lacerations, crush, amputations, forklift incidents
• Schools: shop class, sports, traffic pickup lines, violence (rare but high consequence)
• Churches / event venues: crowds, falls, vehicle ramming, violence
• Offices: mostly low risk—until you host large events or have high public access

Quick rule: coverage is about time-to-hands

You’re aiming for hands on bleeding control in under 3 minutes from anywhere people gather (because “minutes matter” is not a slogan—it’s physics) (STOP THE BLEED® press release).

Step 2 — The core kit: what you actually need (and what’s a waste)

Below is the minimum viable bleeding-control loadout for a fixed site kit.

The non-negotiables

• Tourniquets (TQ): for life-threatening extremity bleeding
• Hemostatic gauze + plain gauze: for deep wound packing
• Pressure dressing: to lock the pack down
• Gloves + shears: to expose and work fast
• Marker + simple instruction card: to record TQ time and reduce chaos

Nice-to-haves (site dependent)

• Chest seals: if your threat profile includes penetrating trauma
• Hypothermia wrap/blanket: if your environment is cold or patients will be down for a while
• Eye protection: especially in industrial sites

What to avoid

• Random “50-piece” kits full of band-aids
• Off-brand tourniquets with unknown testing
• “One gauze roll” kits that cannot fill a deep wound

Infographic 1 — Site Kit Minimum Loadout (per kit)

Two CoTCCC tourniquets, two hemostatic gauze, two pressure dressings, plus the basics. If your box doesn't hold these, it's a decoration, not a kit.

Step 3 — Placement: stop hiding kits in the nurse’s office

If your kits are behind a locked door, you don’t have kits. Place them where the incident is likely—and where people already go:

• Near AEDs and fire extinguishers (people know these locations)
• At gym, fields, and cafeteria (schools)
• At sanctuary entrances and children’s areas (churches)
• At loading docks and machine areas (industrial)

Coverage math that works

• Big building? Think one kit per 30–60 seconds of travel.
• High-risk zones? Add redundancy.

Infographic 2 — "Time-to-Kit" Placement Score

Walk your building. Time each path from where people gather to the nearest kit. Anything red is a procurement decision, not a budget debate.

Step 4 — Training: the kit is not the capability

STOP THE BLEED® has trained millions, but your building’s outcomes depend on your people, not national numbers (STOP THE BLEED® press release).

Minimum training standard (no shortcuts)

• Hands-on tourniquet application (self + partner)
• Hands-on wound packing into a trainer (not “talk through it”)
• Pressure dressing application
• A short scenario: blood, noise, time pressure

Refresher cadence

• 15-minute refresh every 6 months (tourniquet reps)
• Annual scenario day for your response team

Step 5 — The 60-second decision path (what to do first)

When blood is pouring, people freeze. Give them a simple order of operations:

1. Make the scene safe (don’t create casualty #2)
2. Expose the wound (cut clothing)
3. Massive extremity bleeding? Tourniquet now.
4. Junctional/other severe bleeding? Pack hard + hold pressure.
5. Lock it in with a pressure dressing.
6. Call 911 / activate site EMS plan.
7. Mark TQ time and don’t loosen it.

Infographic 3 — Tourniquet vs Wound Packing: When to Use What

The bleed pattern tells you the first move. The common mistakes are the ones we see most often — don't be one of them.

Step 6 — Maintenance: treat kits like fire extinguishers

A bleeding-control program dies in the quiet months. Keep it alive with a basic SOP:

• Quarterly inspection: seals intact, no heat damage, TQs not staged incorrectly
• Post-use restock within 24 hours
• Access check: nothing locked, nothing blocked
• Documentation: kit ID, last check date, inspector initials

What to buy (MED-TAC practical recommendations)

If you’re building or upgrading site kits, keep your procurement simple:

• Tourniquets, gauze, pressure dressings from reputable, duty-grade sources
• Bleeding-control kits built for rapid access (not “general first aid”)

Relevant MED-TAC categories (add the exact product links your store team prefers):

• Tourniquets: https://www.tactical-medicine.com/collections/tourniquets
• Hemostatic Gauze: https://www.tactical-medicine.com/collections/hemostatic-agents
• Trauma / Bleeding Control Kits: https://www.tactical-medicine.com/collections/bleeding-control-kits
• Medical shears & tools: https://www.tactical-medicine.com/collections/medical-shears

Field reality: this is a team sport

Your “program” is not a policy binder. It’s:

• gear that works
• gear that’s reachable
• people who have done the reps

If you want help pressure-testing your site layout or kit list, MED-TAC can sanity-check it based on your footprint and risk.

Si usted es responsable de un edificio—escuela, iglesia, almacén, oficina—su equipo de control de hemorragias es (1) una capacidad real, o (2) una decoración tranquilizadora.

STOP THE BLEED® recalca una verdad simple: los minutos importan. Una hemorragia masiva puede matar rápido y la ayuda profesional a menudo llega después de la ventana crítica (comunicado de STOP THE BLEED®).

Esta guía es una auditoría directa (sin relleno) para revisar sus kits en una tarde y convertirlos en un programa que su gente pueda ejecutar bajo estrés.

Para quién es

• Responsables de seguridad/EHS en empresas
• Directivos escolares y directores deportivos
• Equipos de seguridad/recepción en iglesias
• Supervisores de seguridad

Resultado esperado

1. Equipo correcto (sin imitaciones baratas)
2. Ubicación correcta (donde pasa el problema)
3. Personas entrenadas (práctico, con refrescos)
4. Ruta de decisión simple

Paso 1 — Riesgo real: ¿dónde puede ocurrir una hemorragia mayor?

• Industrial/almacén: cortes, aplastamientos, amputaciones
• Escuelas: talleres, deportes, estacionamientos, violencia (poco frecuente pero grave)
• Iglesias/eventos: multitudes, caídas, vehículos, violencia

Regla rápida: tiempo hasta “manos en la herida”

La meta es control de hemorragia en menos de 3 minutos desde cualquier zona con gente (comunicado de STOP THE BLEED®).

Paso 2 — Contenido mínimo del kit: lo que sí sirve

Imprescindible

• Torniquetes (2)
• Gasa hemostática + gasa normal
• Vendaje compresivo
• Guantes + tijeras
• Marcador + tarjeta de instrucciones

Opcional según el sitio

• Sellos torácicos
• Protección contra hipotermia
• Protección ocular

Infografía 1 — Carga mínima por kit

Paso 3 — Ubicación: deje de esconder kits bajo llave

• Cerca de DEA/AED y extintores
• Gimnasio/canchas/comedor (escuelas)
• Entradas y áreas infantiles (iglesias)
• Muelles y maquinaria (industrial)

Infografía 2 — Mapa de "tiempo hasta kit"

Paso 4 — Entrenamiento: el kit no es la capacidad

La campaña puede entrenar a millones, pero el resultado en su edificio depende de su gente (comunicado de STOP THE BLEED®).

• Torniquete (práctico)
• Empaque de herida (práctico)
• Vendaje compresivo
• Escenario corto con presión de tiempo

Paso 5 — Ruta de decisión en 60 segundos

1. Seguridad de la escena
2. Exponer (cortar ropa)
3. Sangrado masivo en brazo/pierna: torniquete
4. Ingle/axila/cuello: empacar + presión
5. Asegurar con vendaje
6. Activar 911 / plan interno
7. Marcar hora del torniquete

Infografía 3 — Torniquete vs Empaque

Paso 6 — Mantenimiento

• Inspección trimestral
• Reposición en 24 h después de uso
• Verificar acceso
• Registro simple

Qué comprar (recomendación práctica de MED-TAC)

• Torniquetes, gasas, vendajes de calidad

Enlaces útiles:

• Torniquetes: https://www.tactical-medicine.com/collections/tourniquets
• Gasa hemostática: https://www.tactical-medicine.com/collections/hemostatic-agents
• Kits de control de hemorragias: https://www.tactical-medicine.com/collections/bleeding-control-kits
• Tijeras y herramientas: https://www.tactical-medicine.com/collections/medical-shears