The county will host a seminar Friday to teach officials, law enforcement and regular citizens how to safely stop or slow down severe bleeding until emergency medical services arrives on the scene.

Stop the Bleed, a free training event, will be at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the county staff development center on West Cunningham Street.

The 9 a.m. session is full.

The UPMC program is meant to help improve survival from life-threatening bleeding with help from a bystander or law enforcement intervention.

Shawn Pugh, the county's grant writer and criminal justice planner, organized the seminar.

Pugh said he heard about the program from Cranberry Township Police Chief Kevin Meyer, who held the seminar at his station and one month later used the training to save a life.

“If someone is in a car accident and is bleeding, an officer who took the class can help,” Pugh said.

He said one attendant is from the county Federated Library System, others are from the district attorney's office, several are police officers and still others are citizens.

Commissioner Kevin Boozel, whose background is in emergency medical services, said Stop the Bleed will serve the county well.

“The police and others are not medical technicians, but (the seminar) can provide the skills that will save somebody's life,” he said.

He said much like the automated external defibrillators that have cropped up in public places, police officers will begin carrying tourniquets and other equipment to stem a victim's blood flow until the ambulance arrives.

“Whatever you can carry in your vehicle is only going to benefit you,” Boozel said. “It'll never go to waste.”

Boozel, who will attend the seminar Friday, praised Pugh for scheduling the upcoming event and the beneficial training events over the past few years.

“He's phenomenal,” Boozel said. “He's brought some real quality trainings to our county, I think.”

Pugh said he scheduled nine or 10 seminars for the county in 2017, including those on universal precautions, human trafficking and dealing with autism in the criminal justice system.

Once an individual signs up for a seminar, they receive an email alerting them to subsequent county seminars. Pugh has 528 email addresses as of Friday.

“Anytime that we see a seminar that we feel would benefit the county, we put it on,” Pugh said.

Feedback on the surveys he distributes at each seminar has been favorable, and suggestions are always considered.

“This is unique,” Pugh said of the seminars. “I don't think other counties are providing the training to the level that we offer.”

He said the three commissioners have been supportive every step of the way and attend most of the seminars themselves, as do many of the county judges.

“They have a vested interest, and their attendance demonstrates that they truly care about the citizens of Butler County,” Pugh said.

Steve Bicehouse, the county emergency services director, said the Stop the Bleed seminar could help not only victims of violence or accidents, but anyone who accidentally cuts themselves with no one around to help.

He said the program will be an educational and potentially life-saving event.

“It's a great program,” Bicehouse said. “If it saves one life, it's worth it.”

To register for the 11 a.m. seminar, email spugh@co.butler.pa.us.