Farrell, a 58-year-old physical therapist trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), performed the procedure before paramedics arrived five minutes later and used an defibrillator to shock the man's heart back into beat.

Thanks to Farrell's quick thinking and medical training, the man left the scene breathing and is still alive today.

"I said to my friends that day, you just pray that someone knows CPR or there is [a defibrillator] around you if you are down with sudden cardiac arrest because for every minute that a victim's heart doesn't get shocked back into rhythm, survival rate falls by 10 percent," Farrell said.

One year later, in August 2008, Farrell himself became a victim of sudden cardiac arrest while at a friend's house. Luckily his friend, also a doctor of physical therapy, performed CPR and Farrell survived.

"After these experiences in two years my wife and I decided our mission is to get as many citizens trained in CPR and [in using a defibrillator] as possible," Joe Farrell said. The couple are now CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) instructors with the American Heart Association.

But not everyone should have to experience a sudden cardiac arrest situation first-hand to recognized the importance of being trained on CPR.

The San Ramon Valley Fire Distric is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the procedure, which nearly doubles a sudden cardiac arrest victim's chances of survival if administered before emergency medical services personnel arrive.

In 2007, Congress designated the first seven days of June as National CPR/AED week. This year, the association set a goal to teach a million people about CPR and AED. Locally, the fire district did its part on June 5 by training more than 200 people at Monte Vista High School in Danville and Iron Horse Middle School in San Ramon.

"Some of those people have decided they want to go on and get more training," said Andy Swartzell, the district's emergency medical services coordinator. He said he's "really encouraged" because certification classes given the last Saturday of each month are filled for the next four months.

A review of heart attack statistics in the district's jurisdiction revealed that CPR was started in only 12 percent of calls before paramedics arrived — less than the national average of 15 percent.

To increase awareness around this issue, the HeartSafe Community Committee was formed to ensure all elements of the "chain of survival" are in place throughout the San Ramon Valley. The chain includes early access or 9-1-1 calls, early CPR, early use of a defibrillator and early advanced care by emergency medical services personnel.

"The most important part in having the public trained in CPR is they are the first link in the chain of survival," Swartzell said.

Having at least 10 percentage of the population trained in CPR, he added, would also help the district become recognized by the county and the association as a HeartSafe Community with all elements of the chain of survival in place and a focus on improving citizens' cardiovascular health.

In Danville, San Ramon, Alamo and Dublin between January 2009 to May 2010, 14 percent ofheart attack victims survived, compared with 5 to 7 percent nationally, according to Joseph Barger, Contra Costa County Emergency medical director.

Though twice as many people survive in San Ramon Valley than the rest of the nation, Pam Dodson, the service's pre-hospital care coordinator, said communities within the district have a new target to reach.

"Increasing awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and becoming a HeartSafe Community will increase that survival rate to 25 [to] 35 percent — as high as we can get," she said.

Physical therapist Edie Farrell, 60, said the committee, which she joined following her husband Joe Farrell's experience, has received much support from San Ramon and Danville officials and is dedicated in its efforts to receiving HeartSafe Community approval.

"(The committee has) done a wonderful job of putting AED's in public places and in schools, they've come a long way and they're people who just really care," she said.

From saving and being saved with CPR, Joe Farrell said he has become "aware of how fragile life is" and that community members should learn the procedure because sudden cardiac arrest strikes people of all ages and degrees of fitness, often without warning.

"I just feel we can't take life for granted," he said. "We have to get out there and try to give people a chance to live."

December 20, 2010 - Nine sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors, who were saved with the help of CPR and ZOLL resuscitation devices, were among the 50 SCA survivors selected to attend the 50th Anniversary of CPR Gala Celebration at Sea World in San Diego December 9, 2010. The celebration honored the three doctors who pioneered the life-saving technique in 1960—Dr. James Jude, Dr. Guy Knickerbocker and the late Dr. William Kouwenhoven, who was represented by his grandson, Nicholas. To date, CPR is estimated to have saved more than two million lives.

The celebration, sponsored by the Citizens for CPR Foundation, commemorated the power of citizen action, honored the rescuers who saved these survivors, and launched a national call to action to engage more citizens to save lives.

The nine SCA survivors pictured among the group include:

Carlton Smith of Metairie, La., who collapsed a mile from the finish line while running alongside his son in this year’s Boston Marathon. He was saved with the help of bystander CPR and a ZOLL AED Pro^®used by the Boston EMS Bike Squad.

Teddy Okerstrom, now 17, Plymouth, Minn., who collapsed during spring conditioning for football at Wayzata High School. With the help of his coaches, school nurse and the fastest boy in the school who ran onto the field with the ZOLL AED Plus^®, Teddy survived and is set to attend college this fall.

Olivia Quigley, now 8, Winthrop, Mass., was having fun in her second grade gym class at East Boston Catholic School two years ago when she collapsed. Her teachers applied CPR until Boston EMS arrived with an AED Pro that restarted her heart before she was transported to the hospital.

Francisco Tuttle, 47, Beaufort, S.C., married for 20 years and the father of three, was at work as an MRI technician treating a patient when he collapsed. The facility’s medical director mobilized the staff and began CPR until Charleston County EMS arrived with the ZOLL AutoPulse^®. The AutoPulse continued uninterrupted, high-quality chest compressions until Francisco arrived at the hospital.

Caralee Weich, then 57, Morgan Hill, Calif., was leaving a San Francisco theatre after seeing a performance of Momma Mia, to celebrate her daughter’s pending nuptials when she collapsed. Bystander CPR and the AutoPulse provided by San Francisco Fire Department help save her life.

Matt Keene, then 17, Belkin, N.H. , was fortunate his high school, Kimball Union Academy, had an AED available and procedures in place when he collapsed on their football team. Now a business major at University of New Hampshire, he has testified before Congress advocating for AEDs in schools.

Lee Younts, 34, Richmond, Va., was demonstrating some new electrical equipment at a NOVEC plant in Gainesville, Virginia, when 7,200 volts of electricity surged through his body, knocking him cold. Fortunately, the utility workers were trained in CPR and they had an AED Plus on hand, which they used to shock Lee’s heart before he was medivaced to a hospital in Washington, D.C.

David Krogh of Chula Vista, Calif. is civic minded and active in his community. Last year, he was mowing the lawn in a municipal area he found overgrown due to budget cutbacks when he collapsed of SCA. A Good Samaritan driving by stopped to administer CPR until Chula Vista EMS arrived with the AutoPulse a few minutes later. The quick action of his rescuers enabled David to be able to see his daughter graduate from Carnegie Mellon and go on to graduate school.

Laura Geraghty of North Attleboro, Mass. was fortunate to survive the SCA she suffered when she worked as a school bus driver. Now, always equipped with the ZOLL PocketCPR^® she carries with her, she went on to help save the life of a man who collapsed in her local WalMart.

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