Some area groups and organizations will gather today in Lansing for American Heartsaver Day.

The event, sponsored by the American Heart Association, will honor individuals and organizations that have contributed to saving lives by CPR or using an automated external defibrillator.

The devices are similar to the machines used in hospitals, which deliver an electric shock to a person’s heart.

An award ceremony will be held at noon today in the Mackinac Room of the Michigan House of Representatives Office Building, 124 N. Capitol Ave., in Lansing.

The presentation will honor nine area organizations, said Cindy Hawken, director of the American Heart Association in Grand Rapids.

The organizations to be honored include local fire departments and both Lansing and Meridian malls, where automated defibrillators have been installed.

Hawken said automated defibrillators are important and can save lives quickly when CPR fails. The mission of the American Heart Association is to fight heart disease and stroke.

Hawken said the people and organizations to be honored have taken steps to ensure more people are living through heart complications.