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Contact: Jordan Gilgenbach, Communications Coordinator
952-826-0396 • jgilgenbach@ci.edina.mn.us • www.CityofEdina.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Edina Fire No. 1 in nation for cardiac arrest survival
Edina, Minn., April 28, 2011 – The Edina Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services
was ranked No. 1 in the nation in sudden cardiac arrest survival, according to a recent
study by the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) program.
The study, which looked at cardiac arrest survival rates in 2010 among CARES’s
participants, shows Edina with a 71.4 percent survival rate of cardiac arrests that were
witnessed by someone and had a shockable rhythm. This compares with a survival rate of
49.4 percent in Hennepin County and 31.8 percent nationwide.
“I am very proud of our crews. Police, EMS, fire, dispatch and Southdale Fairview Hospital
all do an excellent job,” said Marty Scheerer, Fire Chief of the Edina Fire Department.
All EMS agencies in Hennepin County began using the CARES program in 2010. A “Chain of
Survival” is used to better a person’s chances of survival. Promptly calling 9-1-1, quickly
starting CPR, early use of an automated external defibrillator, delivery of advanced life
support and post-resuscitative care all aid in the survival of a cardiac arrest victim.
CARES, a collaborative effort of the Center for Disease Control, the American Heart
Association and the Emory University Department of Emergency Medicine, began in 2004.
Its goal was to develop a registry which could increase the survival rate of out-of-hospital
cardiac arrests. The system was tested in the Atlanta metropolitan area in 2005. Currently,
CARES has 40 participating communities in 25 states.
For more information on the Edina Fire Department, visit www.CityofEdina.com/Fire. To learn more
about CARES, visit http://mycares.net.
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