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STOP THE BLEED® stands for quality

STOP THE BLEED® is an official program of the U.S. Department of War, built on what service members proved over two decades in Iraq and Afghanistan: that people with no medical training can be taught to stop severe bleeding, and will do it when it counts. The name and logo identify training and equipment held to the program’s standard. Keeping that promise means the Department of War decides who may use the brand, and how, and licenses every use.

Below: what the standard covers, who may use the brand, and where licensees find the rules.

What the standard covers, in training and in equipment

An instructor demonstrating bleeding control technique to a group of trainees.

Quality in training

  • A STOP THE BLEED® class is taught from a curriculum the program has reviewed and approved.
  • Licensed STOP THE BLEED® Instructors teach the classes. Each has met the program’s qualifications and agreed to its standards.
  • Every class teaches the same three techniques: direct pressure, wound packing, and tourniquet application.
  • Organizations that offer STOP THE BLEED® training hold an educational license, which makes them answerable to the program for how the class is delivered.
A STOP THE BLEED kit with its contents laid out.

Quality in equipment

  • A STOP THE BLEED® kit is one of three defined configurations: Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced. The program decides what goes in each.
  • Tourniquets are drawn from the Department of Defense Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) list of recommended devices.
  • The program reviews hemostatic dressings and all other kit contents and accepts only those that meet its requirements for public use. Every tourniquet and dressing is a medical device regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
  • Only companies licensed by the Department of War may sell STOP THE BLEED® equipment.

Details on the kits, the accepted devices, and the licensed sellers are on the Equipment page.

What the logo tells you

The STOP THE BLEED® name and logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The logo is your assurance that the training or product carrying it has met the program’s standard. The Department of War owns the brand, so no one may use the name or logo without a license. To get one, an organization has to show it can meet the standard and agree to the program’s rules. A license that is not followed can be revoked.

Anyone may talk about STOP THE BLEED®, recommend it, or link to this site.

Putting the name or logo on a class, a product, a website, or promotional material in a way that suggests the program stands behind it is another matter. That takes a license.

Three kinds of license

The program licenses the brand for specific uses. The brand standards are the same for all of them.

  • Instructor

    Individuals qualified to teach STOP THE BLEED® classes.

  • Educational

    Organizations that offer STOP THE BLEED® training to the public or to their own people.

  • Equipment

    Companies that sell STOP THE BLEED® kits and equipment, and the manufacturers of the tourniquets and hemostatic dressings the program has accepted.

How to apply, and what each license requires, is on the Licensing page.

The rulebook: the STOP THE BLEED® Style Guide

Every licensee follows the STOP THE BLEED® Style Guide. It covers how the name and logo may be used, including the correct forms of the mark, clear space and minimum size, color, placement on kits and materials, co-branding with a licensee’s own identity, and the words and claims licensees may and may not make.

If you are preparing anything that carries the brand, start there. If the guide does not answer your question, ask the program before you publish.

View the Style Guide

PDF, opens in a new tab

Preview of the STOP THE BLEED logo and brand mark style and usage guide.
Table 1. The basics, for quick reference. The Style Guide governs.
DoDo not
Write the name in capitals as STOP THE BLEED®, with the registered symbol.Alter the spelling, abbreviate the name, or use it as a verb.
Use the logo files supplied by the program, unaltered.Redraw, recolor, stretch, or crop the logo, or add elements to it.
Name kits STOP THE BLEED® Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced.Put a company name in front of the mark or invent other kit names.
Show your own name as the licensee, instructor, or assembler.Suggest that your organization owns the program or the brand.
State that a product or class is licensed by the Department of War.Describe anything as “government-approved” or “FDA-approved.”

Questions, and reporting misuse

Licensees with a question about the standard or the Style Guide, and anyone who has seen the STOP THE BLEED® name or logo used without a license, can contact the program. Every report is reviewed.