A school resource officer (SRO) at Southeast High School was honored for saving the life of a school bus driver.

Corporal James O. Strickland was recently awarded the Hank Snyder Beyond the Call of Duty Award from the North Carolina Association of School Resource Officers (NCASRO) for his heroic act. In January, Cpl. Strickland was on-duty at Southeast when a bus driver suffered a cardiac arrest in the parking lot.

Guilford County Schools (GCS) officials said Strickland jumped into action, climbed on the bus, and applied AED pads to the driver. He then administered CPR until EMS arrived. The driver regained a pulse before leaving for the hospital.

A paramedic on scene told school officials that without Strickland’s help, the driver would not have survived.

“Cpl. Strickland has made a significant impact on our school,” says Assistant Principal Rebecca Draper. “He established a rapport with students and staff quickly and easily and has done a great job of keeping Southeast High safe.”

Originally posted on WFMY News 2