Madison Reporter

The Madison Fire Department has been named a 'Heart Safe Community' by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). This national award, granted by the IAFC and the PulsePoint Foundation, is given to only two fire departments in the United States for their efforts in improving cardiac arrest survival rates. Madison won in the "large community" category.

At the 2024 IAFC national conference, both organizations acknowledged Madison's exceptional work in enhancing outcomes for sudden cardiac arrest patients. The department was praised for its innovative approach to community education on CPR, proper AED usage, and public awareness campaigns via social media and other platforms.

"These departments have been recognized for their community risk reduction and special achievements in areas like bystander CPR, AED deployment, partnerships with local hospitals, their communication and outreach programs, and the use of mobile technology to alert citizens and off-duty responders to nearby cardiac arrest events," said IAFC President John Butler.

Madison Fire consistently ranks among national leaders in cardiac arrest survival rates. In 2022, the local survival rate for patients with a shockable heart rhythm who experienced witnessed cardiac arrest and received chest compressions from a bystander was 72.2%. The percentage of patients discharged from the hospital fully neurologically intact following cardiac arrest was nearly double the national average—13.8% locally versus 7.5% nationally.

"This award highlights the community-focused success that comes from positive collaborations with local hospitals and emergency departments, Dane County Public Safety Communications (911), and other first responders," said Madison Fire Chief Chris Carbon. "A collaborative approach to preventing and treating cardiac arrest is key to success."

Madison Fire protects large community events with AED-equipped rapid response teams at marathons, festivals, concerts, and University of Wisconsin athletic events. The department has increased EMS response to cardiac arrest calls to include ten personnel (eight firefighter/EMTs and two firefighter/Paramedics) along with a mechanical CPR device. After each response, CPR feedback reports are shared with all responders for quality assurance.

“Cardiac arrest survival hinges on a well-coordinated series of events," said Dr. Megan Gussick, Medical Director for Madison Fire Department. "Success is not solely due to our EMTs and Paramedics but also involves instructions given by 911 dispatchers to bystanders, community CPR training participation through PulsePoint app users, as well as exceptional hospital care.”

Since becoming a PulsePoint-connected community in 2015, Dane County has seen around 8,900 users join the app that alerts them to nearby cardiac arrests. Additionally, 336 members of Madison Fire are enrolled in the PulsePoint Professional Responder program; 110 have been issued AEDs for off-duty use.

Each month, Madison Fire offers free hands-only CPR and AED classes to increase public awareness about cardiac arrest signs while boosting confidence in providing chest compressions until EMS arrives. The EMS Training Division also provides direct instruction to private businesses and city agencies.

In Madison during 2022, bystanders performed CPR on 62.8% of cardiac arrest calls compared to 40% nationally—a factor contributing significantly to higher survival rates.

Division Chiefs Jerry Buechner and Chris Hammes accepted the Heart Safe Community Award on behalf of Madison Fire at the IAFC conference.

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