Course Prepares Local Businesses for Active Shooter Emergency

"Stop the Threat - Stop the Bleed" is free and open to any organizations in Cass County

FARGO, N.D. — A collaboration between local police officers and Essentia is aiming to help save lives.

It’s a joint effort between the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Fargo and West Fargo Police and Essentia to “Stop the Threat” and “Stop the Bleed.”

“The key takeaway is knowing what to do should the worst happen in our community. All the things that we teach are geared toward helping people survive,” said Essentia Trauma Program Manager Vicky Black.

The course teaches local business owners and their employees how to respond in an active shooter situation using hands–on demonstrations.

“If you own a company or a business, you know, you have the responsibility to, for the sake of your employees, to think ahead and prepare for something that happens,” said Fargo Police Chief David Todd.

Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner says standard lockdown methods haven’t worked before, which is why this course focuses on giving the victims options on how to respond.

It also teaches them how to stop someone from bleeding if they fail to stop the shooter.

“Having two people kind of come in to where you work or maybe to a group that you’re involved in and do the teaching, it becomes a little more real. When you see some of the equipment that you might need to use, some of the things you might need to do help people stop bleeding,” said Black.

The equipment used is part of a take–home survival kit each business can bring back to the workplace.

The bags were provided by a 4,000 dollar Essentia Health Fargo Foundation grant for the program.

They contain things like a tightrope to barricade doors with and a window breaking tool.

“We’re hoping that we can touch a lot of people. Not only, you know, in government buildings and hospitals and schools, but if we’re at the mall tomorrow and something really bad happens, hopefully we’ll know what to do to help the people around us,” said Black.

They say it’s not about being paranoid; it’s simply about being ready.

“It’s very sad to admit, but our world today, the key for survival is to be prepared,” she added.

The course is free and open to any organization in Cass County.

You can contact your local police department to book a session.