San Diego Project Heart Beat is the City of San Diego's Public Access Defibrillation/CPR Program managed by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department operated jointly with Rural/Metro Ambulance.

Project Heart Beat has one main goal: to save lives through early defibrillation. San Diego Project Heart Beat's objective is to make Automated External Defibrillators (AED) as accessible as fire extinguishers throughout our community.

Partners in San Diego Project Heart Beat are San Diego Fire Fighters Local 145, the County of San Diego, the American Heart Association and Cardiac Science, Inc.

 

What Is An Automated External Defibrillator?

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is an easy-to-use, automated device which delivers a life-saving electric shock to the heart to halt rapid and chaotic heart activity, commonly known as sudden cardiac arrest, and restores normal heart rhythm. AEDs are designed to be used by non-medical personnel.

 

The Goal of San Diego's Public Access Defibrillation Program

The goal of San Diego's Public Access Defibrillation Program and San Diego Project Heart Beat is to improve the survivability of sudden cardiac arrest victims in San Diego by placing defibrillators in:

• City facilities
• Businesses
• Tourist attractions and facilities
• Healthcare facilities
• Education facilities

 

Success of Public Access Defibrillation

• More than 460,000 Americans die each year from sudden cardiac arrest
• Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a major unsolved public health problem and a leading cause of death in the United States.
• The most common cause of Sudden Cardiac Arrest is ventricular fibrillation - when the heart's electrical impulses become irregular and the heart is unable to pump oxygen rich blood throughout the body.
• A person who suffers Sudden Cardiac Arrest outside of a hospital has a 5% chance of surviving.
• Clinical studies have shown the survival rate increases to 30% to 70% when an automated external defibrillator is available and used on a victim within three minutes from the onset of a cardiac arrest.

 

Join The San Diego Project Heart Beat Team

Your group, business or organization can easily establish an AED program which is accessible, affordable and saves lives. San Diego Project Heart Beat offers assistance in establishing all the elements required in instituting a Public Access Defibrillation Program:

• AED Devices from Cardiac Science, Inc.
• Physician Medical Oversight
• Training/Certification
• Record Keeping and Data Collection
• Complete Program Maintenance
• Site Selection
• Indemnification