School Resources

Successful training requires early coordination between the school and our training partners. Use this checklist to ensure your campus is prepared for a smooth and effective session.

• Point of Contact: Identify a lead coordinator (e.g., Principal, School Nurse, or PE teacher) to act as the primary liaison for the training team.
• Scheduling and Lead Time: Our training partners typically require 1-2 months of lead time to secure personnel and equipment.
  • Duration: For school-wide coverage, trainings typically require at least 2 days to complete.
  • Rotation Strategy: We highly recommend rotating through PE periods to ensure all students are reached systematically throughout the school day.
• Space and Logistics: Reserve a large, open location (such as a gym or multipurpose room) with enough space for students to practice on mats. Please provide AV equipment for training slides, if requested, and a table for sign-in sheets.
• Administrative Readiness: Ensure school or district authorization is obtained and that any required student permission slips are distributed in advance.

Ready to become a school of lifesavers? Submit a training request for your school or district, or contact the Revive & Survive San Diego team at revivesurvivesandiego@gmail.com.

Training sessions are designed to be efficient and practical, focusing on the simple skills needed to act in an emergency.

• Hands-Only CPR Technique: Students learn the simple "push hard and fast" method (100–120 bpm) on the center of the chest. This method does not include mouth-to-mouth breathing, making it easy for students ages 10 and up to learn and retain.
• AED Education & Use: We believe that knowing where an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is located and how to use it is as critical as CPR itself. If requested, instructors will teach students and staff how to recognize the voice prompts of an AED and the importance of early defibrillation.
• Equipment: Training partners provide manikins, training AEDs for demonstration, practice mats, and educational handouts.
  • Note: If your school or district already owns CPR training equipment, our training partners are happy to utilize your existing supplies during the session.
• Certification: These sessions are designed for rapid, large-scale bystander empowerment; they do not provide a formal CPR certification card.

California law requires schools to maintain cardiac emergency plans and provides guidelines for CPR instruction as a graduation requirement. Revive & Survive San Diego streamlines this process by providing the technical expertise and personnel needed to meet these requirements with minimal administrative burden.

• Graduation Requirement Support (AB 1719): For school districts or charter schools that require a health education course for high school graduation, state law mandates the inclusion of CPR instruction. Revive & Survive training partners provide the personnel to facilitate this required training on a large scale.
  
  • Flexible Curriculum Integration: While the mandate often applies to health classes, we can help integrate training into other curricula, such as physical education, to ensure all students receive this instruction regardless of their course selections.
• Cardiac Emergency Response Plans (AB 2887): State law requires schools to maintain formal Cardiac Emergency Response Plans (CERP). See the "Becoming a Heart Safe School" section below for technical support on developing your school's CERP and integrating it into your Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP).

In addition to providing hands-only CPR training to students and staff, Revive & Survive San Diego helps schools across San Diego County achieve the Heart Safe School designation through our partner, Project ADAM. Project ADAM, housed at Rady Children’s Hospital, assists schools in establishing and formalizing Cardiac Emergency Response Plans (CERP).

To become a Project ADAM Heart Safe School, schools must implement a comprehensive cardiac emergency plan by placing accessible Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), training a dedicated response team, and successfully completing a functional cardiac emergency drill. Our goal is to help every campus achieve this standard, a milestone recently met by every campus in the Sweetwater Union High School District.

For specific questions about the Heart Safe designation, please reach out to Negin Javaherchian, Project ADAM coordinator, at njavaherchian@rchsd.org.

Training students creates a "ripple effect" of safety that extends beyond the classroom. Since most cardiac arrests occur at home, these skills directly protect the families and neighborhoods of your students.

• Increased Survival: Delaying CPR decreases survival rates by 7–10% per minute; bystander intervention is the most critical factor for survival.
• Student Empowerment: Learning CPR increases student confidence, self-esteem, and their sense of responsibility toward their community.
• Career Exposure: These sessions introduce students to first responders and healthcare careers, promoting health equity in the region.
• Generation of Lifesavers: Students can amplify their impact by teaching these skills to others, helping us reach our goal of training 1 million San Diegans.