McKinney Police Officers Save Cardiac Arrest Victim with Avive AED Response

San Francisco - May 20, 2026 - In August 2025, 66-year-old Jim Milsap suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while riding in a vehicle approaching McKinney, Texas - and survived against extraordinary odds thanks to the rapid response of McKinney Police officers equipped with life-saving AED technology.

On August 14, 2025, Jim was traveling with his son, Chris, when he suddenly became unresponsive. Chris immediately pulled over, removed his father from the vehicle, and flagged down a passerby to call 911. Within moments, McKinney Police Officer Zac Hamilton and Sergeant Farrell Richie arrived on scene before fire and EMS crews - and deployed their Avive Connect AED®.

Just months earlier, the McKinney Police Department and McKinney Fire Department had worked together to implement a forward-thinking initiative to equip every patrol vehicle with Avive AEDs and ensure all officers were trained in CPR and AED use. That decision proved critical.

Officer Zac Hamilton began chest compressions and relied on the AED’s built-in audible metronome and clear audio prompts to guide his actions. “Once the metronome started playing, it made everything very simple in a chaotic scene,” Officer Zac Hamilton said. “The audible instructions are very loud and clear - when it’s ready to shock, it’s very clear to back away.”

The AED identified a shockable rhythm and delivered the first life-saving shock before additional responders arrived. In total, Jim was defibrillated seven times. His pulse was restored while en route to the hospital. Eight days later, Jim - a father of three and grandfather of eight - awoke from a coma, having survived what doctors described as an extremely rare cardiac condition.

Coordinated Approach to AED Readiness

This life-saving response was the result of deliberate preparation and a technology-driven strategy led by the McKinney Fire Department. Deploying AEDs withi police officers alone wasn’t a new concept, and wasn’t enough - the system had to be effortless for officers to use and simple for admin to maintain. Through Avive’s REALConnect™ platform, every AED in the field is remotely monitored by McKinney Fire for battery life, pad condition, and overall readiness. “All we want officers to do is get trained and utilize the AEDs when it’s appropriate - we manage everything else on the back end,” said Chief Dow. “We can tell you the condition, the battery, when to replace pads so officers don’t have to think about it.”

Survival odds decrease by approximately 10% for every minute without defibrillation. By equipping police officers, often the first to arrive at the scene of a 911 call, McKinney is dramatically improving those odds.

"We're deeply grateful to the McKinney officers whose fast response helped save Mr. Millap’s life," said Avive Solutions CEO Sameer Jafri. "This outcome is a testament to McKinney's dedication to its people, from investing in first responder tools and training to the cross-department teamwork that keeps their AED fleet ready to save a life. It takes an entire community to save a life, and we're proud to be part of theirs."

McKinney’s Neighborhood Heroes Program

Building on this success, the city is expanding its efforts through the McKinney Neighborhood Heroes Program, part of a broader 4 Minute Community™ Program. The program aims to place AEDs in the hands of trained civilians throughout the community, ensuring help is never more than four minutes away.

The Avive 4 Minute Community Program is a groundbreaking initiative that transforms communities into proactive cardiac emergency response networks. By using historical SCA data to strategically place Avive Connect AEDs with trained citizen volunteers - known as Cardiac Arrest Rapid Engagement (CARE) team members - the program creates a seamless bridge between bystander intervention and professional emergency response. The program and volunteer response has produced several saves across the country. 

“It's taking people that have an interest in saving lives in our community and putting equipment in their hands in the very place that we're going to have those cardiac events, which is in our neighborhoods.” Chief Dow said. “If you’re not the person that feels comfortable utilizing the AED, that’s okay, but you probably know somebody who would.”

With strategic planning, strong partnerships, and innovative technology, McKinney is building a model for community-wide cardiac response - proving that when preparation meets action, lives can be saved.

Learn more about joining the McKinney Neighborhood Heroes Program:
https://www.avive.life/4-minute-community/mckinney

About Avive Solutions, Inc.:

Avive Solutions, Inc. is a Brisbane, CA-based company dedicated to developing state-of-the-art Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) designed to be accessible, intuitive, and effective in saving lives during Sudden Cardiac Arrest emergencies. Avive’s mission is to ensure that lifesaving AED technology is available in every community across the nation. Learn more at https://avive.life.

Media Contacts:  
Mackenzie Kirk
Avive Solutions
mackenzie@avive.life

CoCo Good
City of McKinney, TX
cgood@mckinneytexas.org 

For more information, visit avive.life and mckinneytexas.org 

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