JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Jackson Public School administrators are being equipped with the skills to save lives in the event of a cardiac event.

The American Heart Association is partnering to provide hands-on CPR and Automated External Defibrillator training for JPS administrators.

The sessions were held on Tuesday at the JSU E-Center. Trainers from the University of Mississippi Medical Center are teaching the methods of resuscitation. It is part of the Certified Emergency Response Plan for schools.

“We want their scholars to be safe, and we want them to feel safe in leaving their scholars with us, and if these incidents do occur, we will have the staff members properly trained and readily available to administer,” said Amanda D. Thomas JPS Executive Director of Office of Climate and Wellness.

“Starting CPR as soon as someone collapses, as soon as someone goes unresponsive and losing their pulse, if you start CPR immediately, it increases their survival chances,” said Kristina Readman, UMMC Administrator for the Resuscitation Training Center.

“The Cardiac Emergency Response Plan has a protocol that’s about eight stops, but it’s made to teach people how to identify cardiac arrest, and kind of goes through the steps of what you do in that moment,” said Laken Camp American Heart Association Director of Government Relations.

The Department of Health funded training is a part of a program to put 100 AEDs in JPS schools.