Seconds matter in rural injury incidents or medical emergencies, and the time it takes first responders to travel to an injured person can be critical to survival due to North Dakota’s rurality.

To help reduce deaths caused by unintentional injury, North Dakota State University Extension and the NDSU School of Nursing have partnered to offer free Stop the Bleed trainings for residents of rural communities across North Dakota. Nursing faculty have traveled to North Dakota counties and worked with NDSU Extension agents to conduct the trainings.

“We are excited to offer a third year of Stop the Bleed trainings this spring in a variety of rural communities across North Dakota,” says Angie Johnson, NDSU Extension farm and ranch safety specialist. “This is the final year of grant funding for this collaborative program, so we want to reach as many rural communities as possible.”

Stop the Bleed is a nationally recognized, 90-minute certification program that provides participants with hands-on opportunities to recognize life-threatening bleeding and intervene effectively by properly using a tourniquet in the event of blood loss caused by an injury.

Johnson says NDSU Extension and the NDSU School of Nursing aim to identify anyone qualified and interested in becoming a Stop the Bleed community trainer so that Stop the Bleed education can continue across the state once the grant funding ends.

 Scheduled trainings for the 2026 spring season are the following:

• Barnes County: March 4 at 9:30 a.m.
• McHenry County: March 5 at 10:30 a.m.
• Ward County: March 5 at 5:30 p.m.
• LaMoure County: March 10 at 3 p.m.
• Logan County: March 10 at 6:30 p.m.
• Steele County: March 26 at 10 a.m.
• Burleigh County: April 1 at 10 a.m.
• Ramsey County: April 1 at 4:30 and 6:15 p.m.

All times are Central Standard Time. Location details for each session and registration are available at ndsu.ag/STB-spring-26.

Stop the Bleed sessions are free for participants. However, registration is required, ideally one week before each training session. Sessions are limited to 10-12 participants, and personal Stop the Bleed kits will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additional training dates can be scheduled in more locations across North Dakota. Contact a local NDSU Extension agent if interested. To learn more about Stop the Bleed and to be notified of nearby trainings, visit the NDSU Extension Stop the Bleed webpage at ndsu.ag/stopthebleed.

Emergency management personnel may qualify for National Continuing Competency Requirement and Local Continuing Competency Requirement units through this training and may also be eligible to become certified Stop the Bleed instructors in their community.

North Dakota peace officers who register and attend a Stop the Bleed session may also earn Peace Officer Standards and Training continuing education credits.

Stop the Bleed training is funded through a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – March 2, 2026

Source: Angie Johnson, 701-231-1873, angela.b.johnson@ndsu.edu

Editor: Dominic Erickson, 701-231-5546, dominic.erickson@ndsu.edu