Through the hard work of our Paramedics, King County Medic One has one of the highest cardiac arrest resuscitation rates, not only in the country, but in the world.

CARES (Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival) collects data about cardiac arrests in 23 states, covering over 800 EMS agencies and more than 1,300 hospitals.
*KCM1 defines “survivors” as someone who is discharged from the hospital alive, and neuroligically intact.
**The Utstein Criteria is an internationally recognized standard, defined as a bystander (non-EMS) witnessed cardiac arrest due to presumed heart disease, with a presenting cardiac rhythm of ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia.

In a targeted ALS system like King County, not everyone who calls 911 is examined by a Paramedic; although KCM1 paramedics are dispatched to over 16,000 emergency calls each year, many can be handled by EMT’s with reduced training, with Paramedics reserved for those people with severe injuries and illnesses who’s final outcomes can be impacted.