In a cardiac emergency, CPR can mean the difference between life and death.

To help save lives, Wayne County EMS wants to train as many residents in CPR as possible.

Wayne County EMS Director Dave Cuddeback talked with GoldsboroDailyNews.com about the community education program dubbed “One Million Compressions.”

Cuddeback says the class teaches the latest CPR techniques and focuses mainly on chest compressions.

Recently, it’s been learned that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is not as important and is often performed incorrectly in an emergency situation.

Cuddeback says the goal is to train 1,000 people to perform 100 chest compressions a minute for ten minutes straight.

There is no cost to take the class and Wayne County EMS will train groups ranging from 10 to 100 people.

Cuddeback says Wayne County EMS is currently meeting with local businesses and finding out if they have an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) on-site.

That provides an opportunity to also get groups signed up for the CPR classes.

To sign up your team, call Wayne County EMS at 919-705-1851 or email [email protected].