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Cardiac Care

Sarasota County Fire Department Earns International Award for Lifesaving Cardiac Care

| Suncoast Post Staff |

The Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) has been internationally honored for its lifesaving excellence in emergency cardiac care, earning the Heart Safe Community award for a large community from the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).

The prestigious award was presented at the Fire-Rescue Med Conference on May 7 and recognizes SCFD’s outstanding efforts in cardiac arrest response, community education, and innovative EMS practices. The Heart Safe Community designation celebrates emergency systems that lead the way in public preparedness, early intervention, and survival outcomes in cardiac emergencies.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals each year in the U.S., making rapid response and bystander intervention essential to survival.

In Fiscal Year 2024, SCFD exceeded both state and national benchmarks with:

  • A 46.5% bystander CPR rate.
  • 32.6% of non-traumatic cardiac arrest patients regaining a sustained heart rhythm.
  • A 27.7% survival rate to hospital discharge.

“These numbers are not just statistics—they represent lives saved and families kept whole,” said SCFD Fire Chief David Rathbun. “This recognition speaks to the commitment and teamwork of our first responders and the community members who are empowered to act when every second counts.”

SCFD’s lifesaving success is supported by its wide-ranging public education initiatives, including:

  • Hands-only CPR and AED training for 2,737 high school students and 347 residents in 2024.
  • Active participation in the Cardiac Arrest Registry for Enhanced Survival (CARES), allowing for performance benchmarking at state and national levels.

The department encourages all residents to get involved by learning CPR at SCFD Open Houses and downloading the PulsePoint app, which:

  • Alerts users to nearby cardiac arrests.
  • Maps the location of the county’s 887 registered Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).
  • Offers guidance for dispatch-assisted care.

Since 2021, SCFD’s outreach efforts have led to an increase of over 700 registered AEDs across Sarasota County and its municipalities, further enhancing emergency response readiness.

Additionally, SCFD has earned the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline award for nine consecutive years. This award recognizes excellence in heart attack and stroke care, including the department’s use of pre-hospital EKGs and evidence-based protocols that reduce time to treatment.

Together, these honors underscore SCFD’s continued leadership in emergency medical services (including Cardiac Care) and its commitment to making Sarasota County one of the safest places in the nation to live, work, and visit.

To learn CPR or download the PulsePoint app, visit pulsepoint.org/download. For more information about SCFD programs, visit scgov.net.

Photo from Deposit Photos

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