Saving The Lives Of Heart Attack Victims

San Rafael (CBS 5)  -- If someone has a heart attack, would you know what to do? One North Bay man has made it his mission to prepare people for that emergency.

"I went to work, felt normal, got to the Y, got on an exercise bike. I just felt I couldn't get in rhythm. I woke up in Kaiser," recalls Alan Posin. He was having a heart attack.

He was saved thanks to some quick-acting YMCA employees, and an AED, an Automated External Defibrillator. Some businesses, like the Marin YMCA, have installed these devices on their own.

It has become San Rafael Police Sergeant Jonathan Bean's mission to get many more public places to do the same. He got his own life support certification years ago. Now he volunteers weekly to train others.

“It's extremely stressful sometimes, but when I come home and realize that I've helped somebody, or perhaps even saved a life on occasion, it's the biggest high in the world, it really is," Bean says.

"We have 80 instructors, a lot of them are out 1 to 2 times a year,” says Fireman, and Heart Association Trainer, Tim Pasisz. “Jonathan is out daily or weekly. Not getting compensated by the city, just getting the word out."

And he shows the same dedication on the job. As a 26-year veteran of the San Rafael Police Department, Jonathan oversees the patrol division. Patrol units are often the first to respond to a crisis, so in addition to training his fellow officers in CPR, Jonathan began lobbying for AED's for all patrol cars.

"We could do CPR until the cows come home, but without that shock we couldn't save anyone," Bean says.

A portable defibrillator could fit easily in the trunk of a patrol car. But the $3,000 price tag for each unit was too much for the city.

"I said ‘I'm not going to let that stop me.’ I went out and started begging for money,” recalls Jonathan. “I went to neighborhood groups and different associations, and I got a tremendous response."

Today, every patrol unit in San Rafael is equipped with its own portable defibrillator, and every police officer knows how to use it. But Jonathan didn't stop there. He continues to press organizations and businesses to install AEDs. The Marin YMCA did, that’s where Alan Posin was saved.

“If I can get more people trained and spread the word, it’s like I’m evangelizing for the Heart Association,” Jonathan says. “I'm sold on it…here's a way I can make a difference."

Jonathan raised $50,000 to equip the patrol cars with defibrillators. For making a life-saving difference in his community, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Sgt. Jonathan Bean of San Rafael.

By Kate Kelly

You can take a class to learn CPR or how to use an AED through the American Heart Association, just visit www.americanheart.org.