Central Pierce Fire & Rescue Honors 29 Cardiac Arrest Survivors
Central Pierce Fire & Rescue (CPFR) hosted its second annual Cardiac Arrest Survivor Ceremony on February 28, 2026, at the Washington State Fair Event Center, honoring 29 cardiac arrest survivors from 2025 and recognizing the dispatchers, first responders, medical teams, and bystanders who helped save their lives.
Cardiac arrest is one of the most time-critical medical emergencies. Survival depends on a system working together in minutes, from the first 911 call to CPR, defibrillation, advanced resuscitation, and hospital care. The ceremony highlights the importance of the cardiac arrest “Chain of Survival,” a series of actions that must happen quickly to give a patient their best chance at recovery.
In 2025, CPFR was dispatched to 364 cardiac arrest incidents where CPR was performed, averaging nearly one cardiac arrest every day. CPFR transported 102 of those patients, reflecting the department’s ability to restore pulses and provide advanced resuscitation care in the field. Ultimately, 29 patients survived cardiac arrest in 2025, a significant increase compared to 17 survivors in 2024 and 15 survivors in 2023.
CPFR credits the improvement to a combination of ongoing training, high-quality CPR performance, data-driven quality improvement efforts, and system-wide changes.
One key improvement occurred on April 1, 2025, when South Sound 911 implemented cardiac arrest dispatch pre-alerts, resulting in a 40-second improvement in response time. That change helped crews reach patients sooner, often during the critical window when the body is most receptive to CPR and defibrillation. CPFR saw its strongest survival months following the change, including five survivors in April and five in May, the highest monthly totals the fire district has recorded.
The event is hosted by Central Pierce Fire & Rescue and made possible through generous support from Pierce County Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 726, the American Heart Association, Stryker, Mount Rainier Emergency Physicians Group, Korean Women’s Association, MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, and the Pulse Heart Institute.
CPFR encourages all community members to learn CPR and become familiar with the location of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in workplaces, schools, and public spaces. Early CPR and early defibrillation remain two of the most important factors in improving survival outcomes.
For information on CPR training opportunities, visit:
www.centralpiercefire.org/classes/cpr-first-aid-classes/