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Less than 10 percent of people who suffer from a sudden heart attack survive in Bozeman. Local first responders are holding 'sidewalk CPR' classes in hopes of raising that number.

This February, American Medical Response launched Gallatin Heart Rescue, with hopes of training 5,000 people 'bystander CPR' by years' end, and to date, they've taught 2,500. Also called 'hands only' CPR, it uses about 100 chest pumps per minute and no rescue breathing.

The technique takes a few minutes to learn, and at no charge, there's no excuse not to do it. Gallatin Heart Rescue gives trainings in workplaces.

AMR Field Training Officer Kevin Lauer wants Gallatin County to have as good a save rate as King County, in Washington State, which boasts a 52 percent survival rate on witnessed cardiac arrest.

"Why can't we do that in Bozeman?" Lauer said. "We're a very intelligent community, we're a very caring community, I challenge everybody to contact us on our website...we'll come teach five people, we'll come teach 300 people."

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