American Heart Association and ZOLL team up in Pittsburgh for World Restart a Heart Day

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Wednesday is World Restart a Heart Day — a day to remind people about the importance of CPR training.

Today – the American Heart Association and ZOLL teamed up to relaunch a hands-only CPR training kiosk.

The National Institute of Health says 9 out of 10 people suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital. Most of them don’t receive CPR. That’s why Wednesday’s message is important — be prepared and be ready.

Alex Pichi is on the other side of a near-death experience.

“It was actually while I was wake-surfing in the back of a boat – and I dropped in the water,” he said.

“It” — was a sudden cardiac arrest.

“My father-in-law dove in the water immediately after seeing me in the water – and started performing CPR in the water,” Pichi said.

That CPR saved Pichi’s life. He’s now on a mission to help others.

“We can really save more lives,” Pichi said.

On this World Restart a Heart Day, it’s a reminder that one of the tools to train people is right in our backyard.

“It’s the most visited AHA hands-only CPR kiosk in the country,” Jason Brown, Carnegie Science Center Director, said.

It’s had a big impact.

“Over the years, this kiosk has attracted over 100,000 visitors, and trained over 70,000 people in this life-saving skill,” Brown said.

A skill that…

“When you are done with it — the 3-5 minutes that you spend standing in front of this?” Matthew Sousa, Executive Director of American Heart Association Pittsburgh, said. “You can save a life.”

For the American Heart Association and ZOLL, it’s about preparing as many people as possible.

“The nation of lifesavers is having one person in every household – ready to perform hands-only CPR,” Sousa said.

Something Alex Pichi experienced first-hand.

“As we’ve seen in my family – you never know when this is going to happen,” he said.