MINNEAPOLIS--Edina residents are more than twice as likely to survive a sudden cardiac arrest than the nationwide average, according to a study conducted by the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) program. The Edina Fire Department was ranked first in the U.S. for sudden cardiac arrest survival rates among 2010 CARES participants. The department posted a 71.4 percent survival rate for cardiac arrests that were witnessed by someone and had a "shockable rhythm," compared with 49.4 percent in Hennepin County and 31.8 nationwide. "I am very proud of our crews," said Edina Fire Chief Marty Scheerer. "Police, EMS, fire, dispatch and Southdale Fairview Hospital all do an excellent job." Edina and other Hennepin County EMS agencies became members of the CARES program in 2010. CARES is a collaborative effort of the Center for Disease Control, the American Heart Association and Emory University's Department of Emergency Medicine. The program is aimed at creating a registry that could help increase out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates. CARES currently has 40 participating communities in 25 states. SOURCE: Edina Patch For more information on the Edina Fire Department, visit the city's website. To learn more about CARES, visit mycares.net.