No one understands urgency like emergency physicians. We know the first few minutes after an emergency are critical for survival, and emergency service professionals aren’t always the first ones on the scene. That’s why ACEP has created Until Help Arrives, a one-hour training course designed to help ACEP members teach basic life-saving skills to their community.
According to a national poll conducted by ACEP, the average civilian isn’t prepared to be a first responder in the aftermath of a storm, car crash, active shooter or other crisis. As an EM physician, leading this course is an opportunity to make a positive impact in your community by sharing your expertise. With your help, civilians can take this one-hour training course and feel more empowered to be the help until help arrives.
A condensed version of FEMA’s You’re the Help Until Help Arrives campaign, our course puts an emphasis on bleeding control, scene safety and compressions-only CPR.
ACEP members have access to the course curriculum, which was developed for emergency physicians, by emergency physicians. As a course leader, you'll teach participants how to:
ACEP members are eligible to be Until Help Arrives instructors. Additionally, anyone licensed in the following disciplines is welcome to apply to become an instructor: MD, DO, RN, NP, PA, DPM Paramedic, EMT, EMR/First Responder (or a student enrolled in any of these programs). Please fill out the form below and we'll send you the presentation so you can conduct the course in your community.
Civilians who are interested in participating or hosting an Until Help Arrives course can fill out this form, and we'll connect them with instructors in their area. We offer an instructor portal with resources to make it easy for you to market your course and measure its impact.
Once you lead a course in your community, we'd love to hear about it and share your pics on our social media channels. We'll continue to refine this program based on your feedback, so don't hesitate to share your thoughts with us at untilhelparrives@acep.org.
In addition to completing the Until Help Arrives course, an important part of emergency preparation is ensuring the right supplies are on hand to deal with a critical incident. Visit the Until Help Arrives shop to find the right bleeding control pack for your needs.
The Stop the Bleed campaign was initiated by the White House National Security Council in collaboration with a workgroup of federal agencies, private and non-profit partner organizations, and individual citizens. ACEP has been a proud partner from the beginning in this vital campaign to build national resilience by better preparing the public to help save lives through basic actions to stop life-threatening bleeding following everyday emergencies or disaster events.
You’re the Help Until Help Arrives was a part of the Ready campaign, a national public service campaign launched by federal partners including FEMA, the Department of Health & Human Services, the Department of Transportation, and the Uniformed Services University of the Medical Sciences in the Department of Defense in February 2003. It was designed to educate and empower the American people to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters.
ACEP used the course to build the foundation of Until Help Arrives, tailoring the course content to be delivered by emergency personnel and adding instruction for compressions-only CPR.
You Are the Help Until Help Arrives
Emergency Care and Safety Care Institute (ECSI)
First Responder On-Scene Training (FROST)
Stop the Bleed – Apply Pressure video
Stop the Bleed – Apply Pressure instructions
For more information, email untilhelparrives@acep.org