San Diego Project Heart Beat hosts public CPR and AED training

San Diego Project Heart Beat held a Hands-Only CPR and AED training event on June 2 during National CPR and AED Awareness Week, drawing community members from across San Diego County. The event aimed to boost bystander response to sudden cardiac arrest, where minutes can determine survival.

Why it matters: - Sudden cardiac arrest can happen without warning in homes, schools, workplaces, sports venues and public spaces. - Immediate bystander CPR and AED use can buy time before emergency medical services arrive. - The training effort aims to increase confidence, improve readiness and strengthen San Diego County’s chain of survival.

What happened: - San Diego Project Heart Beat hosted a public Hands-Only CPR and automated external defibrillator training event on June 2 during National CPR and AED Awareness Week. - The event brought together community members from across San Diego County. - The training was organized by San Diego Project Heart Beat under Program Manager Maureen O'Connor, in collaboration with the City of San Diego. - Enrique Christopherson of CPR1 LLC, part of the Response Ready family of brands, led the AED demonstration. - Christopherson was also interviewed by NBC 7 and shared lifesaving messages in Spanish.

The details: - Participants learned how to recognize the signs of sudden cardiac arrest. - The session covered Hands-Only CPR and how AEDs work to restore a normal heart rhythm. - Organizers said the instruction was designed to be simple and accessible for people with no prior medical experience. - The American Heart Association estimates more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in the U.S. - The American Heart Association says about one in 10 people survive to hospital discharge. - The American Heart Association reports immediate CPR can double or triple survival chances. - Only about 40% of cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR before professional help arrives. - San Diego Project Heart Beat has operated since 2001. - The program has helped place more than 11,000 AEDs across schools, workplaces, public facilities and community spaces in the region. - The initiative has worked under the leadership of Maureen O'Connor and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. - Response Ready CEO Carolena Enayati said preparedness is about giving people the confidence to act when every second counts. - CPR1 and Response Ready support San Diego Project Heart Beat as the City of San Diego’s AED supplier. - Response Ready’s related services include AED equipment, CPR training, AED training, First Aid training, bleeding control programs, cardiac emergency response planning, compliance guidance and medical oversight support. - Response Ready serves workplaces, schools, healthcare providers, youth sports organizations and community groups in San Diego and nationwide. - The company’s family of brands includes CPR1, AED Leader and MDSI Medical.

Between the lines: - The event was as much about reducing hesitation as teaching technique. - Spanish-language outreach extended the training’s reach to more of San Diego’s diverse community. - San Diego Project Heart Beat is positioning public access defibrillation as a community norm, not a niche emergency skill. - The program’s long-running AED placement network gives the training practical support in the field. - Public training events also signal that emergency readiness is becoming a shared civic responsibility.

What's next: - San Diego Project Heart Beat plans more public events, school-based education programs and partnerships with local organizations. - Future outreach will target underserved and high-traffic areas where rapid response can have the biggest impact. - Organizers also plan expanded multilingual outreach. - The program says it will keep pushing to make AEDs as familiar and accessible as fire extinguishers. - Response Ready says it will continue supporting expanded access to training, equipment and emergency preparedness education.

The bottom line: - San Diego Project Heart Beat is using public CPR and AED training to turn bystanders into first responders before emergency crews arrive.