Free CPR training kicks off in Jackson
Do you know how to properly administer CPR?
The City of Jackson and the American Red Cross held the first day of their free CPR training class to teach residents the important skill.

“It is hands-only CPR,” said Wanda Doyle, senior recruitment specialist for American Red Cross. “It is teaching the community the compressions are only part of CPR and it has been proven that compressions do save lives until emergency personnel can arrive.”

Each participant was given a plush ambulance toy, and were required to press down in time with the beat, with the motion representing what they would do to a human chest in a cardiac emergency.

Nona Brummett and her husband attended the training, and she says it’s harder than it looks.

“My husband and I are both getting older and I would like for him to know it in case I need him, so that is the reason we came,” Brummett said. “The little cars that they had, you are supposed to collapse the wheels on it. That takes a lot of strength, so if somebody does this, they are expending a lot of energy.”

And Brummett says you never know: it could save someone’s life.

“Oh, I think it is wonderful. I know my son helped somebody in JC Penney’s,” Brummett said. “They had a heart attack and he did CPR and they were able to revive him. It saved a life, so everybody should have it.”

Doyle, along with Whitney Billingsley with the City of Jackson, say the goal for the training is to make sure they are getting this life-saving knowledge out to the community.

“To get the oxygen flowing will save a life, instead of us just waiting for emergency personnel,” Doyle said.

“We want to get it out to everyone to know if there is any way that you can help, this is definitely a start by learning the hands-on part,” Billingsley added.

The free CPR training will be offered again Tuesday. starting at 9 in the morning at the South Jackson Community Center at 412 Bolivar Highway.

To sign up to be CPR certified, or if you would like to become a volunteer with the American Red Cross, click here.