Press Release

2-20-2008

Contact Tom Kempton 317-7233

How does the Anchorage Fire Department compare to other cities in the delivery of emergency medical services?  If you had a cardiac arrest and collapsed here in Anchorage what chance would you have to survive?

A 2003 USA Today article found disparities in emergency medical care across the nation and said cities that carefully track their EMS performance save many more lives.

Several cities including Houston, Anchorage, Austin, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Raleigh and Tucson have signed up for the Emory University/CDC (Centers for Disease Control) study known as Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival, or CARES. This 5 year, $1.5 million CDC project launched four years ago.  Initial investigations found that emergency medical systems in most of the nation’s 50 largest cities were fragmented, inconsistent and slow. 

How does Anchorage Compare? Join Dr. Michael Levy, Anchorage Fire Department’s Medical Director and Kathy Jacobi, American Heart Association as they discuss the latest figures which show how well the Anchorage Fire Department is doing with cardiac arrest save rates.

Join us Thursday, February 21^st, 11:00 AM at Anchorage Fire Station One, 4^th and A Street.  Mayor Begich, Dr. Levy and other representatives of the Anchorage medical community will discuss the performance of the Anchorage Fire Department and what citizens can do to save more residents who collapse of sudden cardiac arrest.