In our basic CPR & First Aid classes we touch on the subjects of stopping bleeding. In the FAST training, certified by the American Red Cross, the training is more in depth and focuses on treatment of severe bleeding and trauma. A person can die from severe blood loss in less than 5 minutes. Would you know what to do if faced with a life-threatening bleeding emergency? We’ll show you how to stop the bleed, and classes are conveniently located in the Chicago area.
Learn bleeding control skills with First Aid for Severe Trauma (FAST), a national STOP THE BLEED® course from the American Red Cross. This FAST course is available for anyone.
Replace Panic with a Plan!
Accidents happen. With a planned response, we can improve the outcomes. First Aid for Severe Trauma (FAST) prepares you with skills that go beyond the basics to help you handle a life-threatening bleeding emergency.
You can save a life: Preparing for bleeding emergencies; recognizing that a bleeding emergency exists; emergency action steps; deciding to act in an emergency.
Safety in emergency situations: Keeping yourself safe in an emergency; helping others to safety; violent situations.
Communicating in emergency situations: Communication basics; communicating with others at the scene; communicating with the emergency dispatcher.
Caring for a person with life-threatening bleeding: Using pressure to stop bleeding; applying direct pressure; using a tourniquet; after the bleeding stops.
What does the Red Cross FAST course teach?
First Aid for Severe Trauma™ (FAST™) is a STOP THE BLEED® course which teaches key topics designed to save a life in the first 10 minutes after a severe bleeding injury, including:
• Response principles: Preparing for bleeding emergencies; recognizing that a bleeding emergency exists; emergency action steps, deciding to act in an emergency
• Scene safety: Keeping yourself safe in an emergency; helping others to safety; violent situations
• Emergency communications: Communication basics; communicating with others at the scene; communicating with the emergency dispatcher
• How to care for life-threatening bleeding: Using pressure to stop bleeding; applying direct pressure; using a tourniquet; after the bleeding stops
What is the duration of the FAST course?
According to the American Red Cross, the instructor-led (100% classroom) version of the course is expected to be 135 minutes. We allow additional time for breaks, discussion and additional content.
What age range is the FAST course designed for?
Nearly anyone including students from middle school upwards and adults can take the course and benefit from the FAST course material.
Is FAST a STOP THE BLEED course? Will it meet my state requirements to teach about bleeding control?
The Red Cross FAST course meets all U.S. Department of Defense requirements to be a STOP THE BLEED course.
How did the FAST course come about?
The Red Cross FAST program is a collaborative initiative with the American Red Cross, the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate.
What certification will students receive when they complete the FAST course?
Students who complete the instructor-led (100% classroom) version of the FAST course will receive a digital Red Cross FAST
certification card valid for two years. Like all other Red Cross courses, paper certificates are available for an additional charge.
Additional Bleeding Control Content
After completion of the official First Aid FAST course, students will have the option of learning additional techniques to stop life threating blood control. Alpha Koncept’s certified instructors shall demonstrate and then students may practice wound packing, fabricating “field expedient” or improvised tourniquets, application of “Israeli bandages” and more.
These additional techniques set Alpha Koncepts apart from other Red Cross certified instructors, and other First Aid for Severe Trauma courses in the Chicago area, and indeed in the rest of the nation.
About Alpha Koncepts
Alpha Koncepts has been training students life saving skill since 2013, and in 2022 made the decision to partner with the American Red Cross and is now a Licensed Training Provider. We are located in the Chicagoland area and have the ability to teach in our dedicated training facility or can travel to your location. Alpha Koncepts employs American Red Cross Certified Instructors and training certificates are issued to the student directly from the American Red Cross.
Chicago has a reputation for violence, and indeed violent attacks do occur every day in and around Chicago. However you are more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle accident than a victim of a violent attack. The life saving skills that you’ll learn in a FAST class can save the lives of the people you love.
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Sports Injuries
- Hiking or Biking Accidents
- Hunting Accidents
- Work Place Injuries
- Firearm Training Accidents
- Violent Crime
- Severe Weather
- Home Repair Injuries
Life happens, and it’s not always pretty.
What is Stop the Bleed?
Stop the Bleed is an initiative by the American College of Surgeons. It is a national program that has been around since 2015 and includes education and lecture. The Red Cross First Aid for Severe Trauma is an official Stop the Bleed course.
The STOP THE BLEED® campaign was initiated by a federal interagency workgroup convened by the National Security Council Staff, The White House. The purpose of the campaign is to build national resilience by better preparing the public to save lives by raising awareness of basic actions to stop life-threatening bleeding following everyday emergencies and man-made and natural disasters. Advances made by military medicine and research in hemorrhage control during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have informed the work of this initiative which exemplifies translation of knowledge back to the homeland to the benefit of the general public. The Department of the Defense owns the STOP THE BLEED® logo and phrase—trademark pending.
Alpha Koncepts is located in Park Ridge, just outside the city of Chicago. We offer free parking to our students.
