JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – School is back in session and Jackson County emergency responders are taking student safety seriously.

Jackson County Schools hosted a hands-on rollover bus training in preparation for the new school year. Jackson County EMS, Fire, Police, 911 and HealthNet participated in the training to improve personnel safety and readiness.

“That’s the most important thing,” said Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger. “You know, when you look at something like this, you have to take it personally because we all have children and grandchildren and so on in the public school system and when there’s an incident. A tragedy, that’s one too many.”

The training includes both theoretical and practical components. Participants learn about emergency evacuation procedures, use of safety equipment, communication protocols and leading students.

The training took place under real conditions.

High school student Brooklyn Morrison was rescued during training and realized how quickly life can turn upside down.

“Be thankful for your friends and family because anything could happen, like the bus accident. However, it may not have been a real incident. It could happen in the future.”

The creator of the training, Rich Casto, hopes that this training will prepare anyone for any type of climate.

“We are navigating a lot of narrow roads. There is potential to make mistakes and we want to prepare for the worst,” Casto said.

All rights reserved.