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NATCHEZ — Students in the Adams County Sheriff’s Office Junior Cadet Academy became nationally certified to respond to emergency situations this week through the Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative, or MyPI for short.

The program is led by Penny Rachal, a Mississippi State University extension agent, and Jacqueline Posey, who is a part-time community outreach coordinator for Adams County Sheriff’s Office and involves over 40 training hours.

This training certifies youth to perform CPR and to use an automated external defibrillator in emergencies. They also learned skills in disaster preparedness, fire safety and suppression, treatment of injuries, search and rescue and disaster psychology.

Along with their certification certificate, on Monday each student received a backpack with the essentials — a first aid kit, goggles, flashlight, gloves, duct tape, masks and more.

The Junior Cadet Academy and MyPI training courses are offered free to teens between 13 and 19 years old. Registration forms can be filled out at Adams County Sheriff’s Office during business hours. For more information, contact Posey or Rachal at 601-807-6528 or 601-445-8201 or visit mypi.msstate.edu.