Survival training event “Stop the Bleed” will occur Nov 19. from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and “Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events” will occur Nov. 21 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the lecture hall to prepare up to 100 interested community members for crisis events.

District director of Safety and Security Dan Buholtz and high school campus security officer Casey Littlefield will be the primary instructorsOther security officers will also assist at the events. 

“The purpose is to provide awareness and training to our community members who have an interest in increasing their survival skill sets,” Buholtz said. “Both classes offer a comprehensive look at what some of the indicators are for Active Attackers, and how to prepare yourself if ever forged into a crisis situation.”

Though the purpose of both events is focused on safety, different, specific lessons are taught at the two meetings. “Stop the Bleed” focuses on stopping severe bleeds, while “Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events” focuses on methods of safety during such active shooter events.

“The Stop the Bleed course gives the attendee the basic knowledge of how to properly stop a life threatening bleed and is the same course that Lovejoy ISD provides to all of its staff members,” Littlefield said. “The Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events course is built upon the Avoid/Deny/Defend method and is geared specifically to how we can respond to and survive an Active Attack event.”

This is the first year that this safety training has been implemented in the district, but Buholtz says that the district security team intends on “offering future training sessions.”

“We continue to look for ways to provide information, training, and support in every area of safety,” high school principal Chris Mayfield said. “This area is another one of those opportunities. I think the benefits of programs like this are huge. Helping teachers and students know how to respond in an emergency is crucial to providing the safest environment possible.”

The events are designed to prepare community members for situations that can take place at any time or place.

“Unfortunately no one is exempt from a life threatening bleed or the threat of an Active Attack situation,” Buholtz said. “There will always be a time gap between an incident occurrence and the first responders’ arrival. By educating the public, we can potentially fill that time gap and save lives.”