LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As mass shootings continue to make headlines nearly every week, the group 100 Black Men of Louisville is taking part in a national campaign called "Stop the Bleed." 

The training happens Thursday at three different workshops, and will be led by Darryl Watson, a former law enforcement officer and Vice President of 100 Black Men of Louisville.

Louisville is one of nearly 120 cities nationwide holding similar workshops. 

Members of 100 Black Men say one of their missions is to share knowledge to empower their neighbors and bystanders to save lives. The training focuses on giving people life-saving skills like how to apply tourniquets, apply pressure to and pack wounds and control bleeding.

Watson said it's important that the community in general and Black people in particular learn life-saving techniques, especially given the rise in violent crime, and Louisville's mass shooting at a downtown bank on April 10. 

"To sit there and watch the officer go down, I wanted to jump through that camera and do stop the bleed procedures immediately, and couldn't do it," Watson said. 

Since medical emergencies happen without warning, Watson said it's a good idea to carry basic first aid supplies like gauze, scissors, tape and glove in your car so you can act quickly. 

Medical experts like UofL Health's Dr. Keith Miller say you don't have to be a medical professional to save a life.

"The idea is all of us the citizenry all across the county, all across the world, can do simple things to save lives in the setting of mass shooting, in the setting of interpersonal violence, in the setting of if you're working at home with a saw or any injury that results in hemorrhage," Miller said. "These are basic techniques to buy time to get them the help that they need."

The workshops are co-sponsored by the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Bill Smock, an emergency surgeon and physician from Louisville, will be taking part in the workshops to teach people how to stop people from bleeding out before help reaches them. He says the scenarios are realistic and provide invaluable skills. 

"I've seen thousands of gunshot wounds, and the training they're providing here is lifesaving," Smock said. "If we can prevent someone from bleeding out on the scene, we will save hundreds of lives."

Thursday's workshops were scheduled for three different times and locations:

10 a.m. to Noon at the intersection of West 5th Street and South Main Street.

12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of 6th Street and West Liberty Street (near the Hall of Justice).

3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kroger at 2710 West Broadway. 

Everyone is invited to take part. 

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