Dane County recognizes cardiac arrest survivors and emergency responders

June 09, 2025
Andrew Beckett
Emergency Management

MADISON, Wis – When someone goes into cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, early intervention can greatly improve their chances of survival. The importance of this quick action was a focus of Dane County’s annual Survivor Celebration, held Sunday at the Madison Mallards ballpark.

“I had a heart attack on-stage at the Gamma Ray Bar on Main Street in Madison on December 26, 2024,” said Rökker, a Madison-based musician. “My son Nikko, the bar owner Kevin Wilmott, and an audience member who was a nurse ran to the stage and performed CPR until medics arrived in 6 minutes to kickstart my heart.”

Rökker was among more than a dozen survivors of cardiac arrest, along with first responders, 911 call takers, and bystanders who helped save a life, who participated in Sunday’s ceremony. The Survivor Celebration is an opportunity to highlight Dane County’s strong commitment to improving outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest, along with the lives of the 42 cardiac arrest victims responders and bystanders helped save last year.

“Minutes matter when it comes to saving a life, and we are committed to ensuring as many people as possible know how to react when they witness someone going into sudden cardiac arrest,” said Dane County Executive Melissa Agard. “From bystanders being ready to jump in and perform CPR, to all of the 911 operators who answered the call, assessed the situation, provided guidance, and dispatched first responders to the scene to help patients and get them to the hospital, survival rates depend on so many things going right. In Dane County last year, bystanders performing CPR on a cardiac arrest victims helped double their chances of survival.”

Dane County has made many efforts to ensure people have access to the training and tools needed to respond quickly. That includes working with EMS agencies and partners in the public and private sectors to expand access to CPR training and adding Automated External Defibrillator (AED) devices in public spaces.

“Building a high-performance system for sudden cardiac arrest care has been a focus of our EMS system for many years,” said Dr. Mike Mancera, Dane County Medical Advisor. “Through collaboration with our prehospital and hospital partners, we have continued to make improvements. We are proud to see that the care provided by our EMS providers has had a positive impact on patient care and survival outcomes.”

The Survivor Celebration also recognizes those bystanders who stepped in to help keep that person alive during those first few crucial minutes. In 2024, patients in Dane County who received bystander CPR had a survival rate nearly twice as high as those who did not.

“Every member of the community has an opportunity to be a hero and save a life by learning a skill as simple as hands-only CPR,” said Dane County Emergency Management Director Charles A. Tubbs, Sr. “Classes teaching this life-saving skill are offered in communities across Dane County throughout the year. Check with local fire departments, EMS agencies and community organizations to see what opportunities are available in your area.”

Citizen bystanders can also play a part in saving lives by downloading PulsePoint – a free smartphone app that can alert them to nearby victims of sudden cardiac arrest. PulsePoint uses location-based technology to send alerts to users about incidents in nearby public places, giving them an opportunity to respond and offer assistance until emergency medical personnel arrive on scene. In 2024, the PulsePoint app alerted nearly 1,800 people in Dane County that CPR was needed in their area.

Learn more about PulsePoint at https://em.countyofdane.com/CPR/pulsepoint. 

People are also encouraged to register AEDs they see in the community through the PulsePoint app, which allows 911 to see if any are nearby when they receive a call so they can direct callers to retrieve them. Register devices at https://aedregistry.pulsepoint.org/index.php.

Just six months after his heart attack, Rökker says he realizes now how many things had to go right for him to survive. He remains grateful to the people who acted quickly to keep him alive on stage, along with the first responders and doctors who took over and have helped with his recovery.

“When I woke up in the hospital the doctor told me I died on stage playing drums…but there were people there who wouldn’t let you go,” he said.