Aug 01, 2014 1:00 AM

Author: Libby Mitchell

If someone were having a cardiac episode, would you know where the nearest defibrillator is? If you can answer “yes,” then you may be well on your way to winning some cold hard cash.

Starting today University of Utah Health’s Department of Emergency Medicine is launching the HeartMap Salt Lake City challenge: a scavenger hunt that could save lives. Players will be tasked with finding and reporting the locations of automatic external defibrillators (also known as AEDs) in Salt Lake City – and they could win money for every one they find. Cash prizes range from $50 dollars, all the way up to $5,000.

AEDs are easy to identify. They look like small briefcases and are placed where cardiac arrests are most likely, such as airports, sports clubs, and shopping malls. Many office buildings are now installing them as well. In the event of a cardiac event the AED allows bystanders on scene at a medical emergency to help the patient. Each device has voice and visual prompts that guide bystanders through the necessary steps. An AED can save a life, if it can be located. That’s where HeartMap, and you, come into the equation.

Want to participate? Check out the rules and register to play at cprnation.org. You can also follow the action on the site or on twitter by following @cprnation or #HeartMapSaltLakeCity.

Save lives, earn money. What a great way to spend the month of August. Now, get out there and find those AEDs.