How Williamson residents can help win $5,000 in life-saving cardiac arrest equipment
Williamson County Emergency Medical Services is asking the public to participate in a national contest that could result in a local community winning a $5,000 grant to buy life-saving equipment for cardiac arrest victims. County residents or businesses who own automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are asked to register their devices with an app called PulsePoint, according to a county press release. The machines are used to shock a heart back into beating.

The community that registers the most defibrillators will win the grant.

Williamson County residents are being asked to register their automated external defibrillators by Oct. 31 at pulsepoint.org/AEDcontest. Cardiac arrest victims who receive a shock from a publicly-available defibrillator used by a bystander before emergency personnel arrive have two to three times better odds of survival and more favorable outcomes, according to PulsePoint's website.

"Without bystander AED use, 70 percent of cardiac arrest patients either die or survive with impaired brain function," the website said.Pulsepoint, a free mobile phone app, is holding the contest. Pulsepoint.org is a nonprofit that provides a free mobile phone app to alert volunteers trained in cardio pulmonary resuscitation when someone nearby needs help.

The app also directs users to the closest location of a defibrillator. People who register their automated external defibrillators in the contest have a chance to win a prize. Each person who registers a defibrillator will be entered to win one of 10 $500 Amazon gift cards, according to the press release.

The community that registers the most AEDs will receive a $5,000 grant to buy new AEDs. There are more than 129,500 automated external defibrillators already registered across the country in the PulsePoint app.Williamson County EMS offers training to groups or organizations on CPR and how to use AEDs.

To learn more about the classes visit wilco.org/Departments/EMS/Public-Education/CPR-Training. EMS does not offer training to sole individuals.