What if you had to save someone's life? Would you know what to do? September is National Preparedness Month and there is no better time to learn how to perform CPR and use an AED.

Every minute counts when sudden cardiac arrest strikes, and the chance of survival is less than 10 percentif it occurs outside of a hospital. Studies show the survival rate increases from 30 to 70 percent when an automated external defibrillator (AED) is available and used within three minutes from the onset of the incident.

Thanks to San Diego Project Heart Beat, awareness, education and immediate access to AEDs throughout the City and county of San Diego is growing. Since 2001, the City of San Diegos Fire-Rescue safety team has installed nearly 9,000 AEDs and helped to save 173 lives.