Overview: Project Heart Beat

Project Heart Beat is responsible for saving the lives of more than 220 people through its managed program participants and the placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) throughout San Diego.

A new partnership will help San Diego’s Project Heart Beat program continue its success in saving lives. 

Recently, the San Diego City Council approved the partnership with CPR1 as part of an ongoing effort to make San Diego a “heart-safe region.”

The partnership is slated to take effect at the end of April.

 “We are honored to partner with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department to expand the impact of Project Heart Beat,” said Carolena Enayati, co-founder and chief executive officer of CPR1, a Response Ready company. 

“Together, we are working to make San Diego one of the most prepared and heart-safe communities in the nation.” 

The arrangement will directly support the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department’s San Diego Project Heart Beat program, with a goal to make defibrillators as accessible as fire extinguishers in all public and private arenas.

San Diego Project Heart Beat provides the public with training on how to use automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

For 25 years, San Diego’s Project Heart Beat has deployed thousands of AED units across the San Diego region. 

It is responsible for saving the lives of more than 220 people through its managed program participants and the placement of automated external defibrillators throughout San Diego.

This includes city and county facilities, businesses, tourist attractions and facilities, healthcare facilities, and educational facilities.

“I see this partnership as a win-win for San Diego — it provides a critical boost to our public safety infrastructure and helps alleviate our City budget,” said San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo. 

“Securing $150,000 in annual support through this agreement helps us make sure the life-saving work of San Diego Project Heart Beat continues to grow without placing an added burden on our taxpayers.

“I’m proud to support a collaboration that prioritizes both fiscal responsibility and the health of our residents.” 

During the next two years, CPR1 will provide an annual fee of $150,000 to the City to support the San Diego Project Heart Beat program. The partnership agreement also permits three one-year options to renew. 

One of the early corporate partners  

The lifesaving program is partially funded through a corporate partnership program.

“The San Diego Heart Beat partnership was one of the first few corporate partners established after the City launched its Municipal Marketing Partnership Program in 1999, during the program’s early foundational years,” said Sarah Brenha with the San Diego Economic Development Department.

Brenha added that the corporate partnership program brings a community program need to residents and visitors to San Diego and expands regionally to serve all public and private entities.

Over the past two and a half decades, Project Heart Beat has focused on AED deployment in areas of San Diego where cardiac events are statistically more likely to occur or where emergency response time can be longer.

This includes publicly accessible high-traffic locations, recreation centers, libraries, and community-serving facilities, said Maureen O’Connor, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department public access defibrillation program manager,

“We also prioritize placement in neighborhoods with limited access to medical services or longer travel times for EMS,” O’Connor said.

“These strategic deployments help ensure that every resident, regardless of age, income, or zip code, has a better chance of receiving lifesaving intervention during a cardiac emergency.”