Does your favorite pickleball hangout have an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) on-site and staff prepared to use it?

Are you and your buddies trained in CPR techniques and AED operating procedures just in case an emergency arises on the court?

If you answered "No" to either of those questions, it’s definitely time to change that.

Just ask Jeff Whitsitt.

He recently went into sudden cardiac arrest while playing in a tournament in the Nashville suburb of Brentwood, TN.

According to a report from TV station WSMV, a couple of bystanders immediately sprung into action to save his life by performing CPR and putting an AED to work.

By the time first responders arrived to help, Whitsitt was "alert but confused," which is far better than the alternative.

"Nine out of ten patients who go into cardiac arrest and receive a shock within the first minute survive," confirmed Brentwood Fire and Rescue paramedic Robyn Thorne. "It’s a huge gap if you can start CPR and apply an AED in those first couple of minutes."

Whitsitt explained to WSMV that he didn't have a history of heart issues.

He's just sincerely appreciative that people knew exactly what to do under the circumstances.

“I did not have symptoms you think of when you think of a heart attack, no pain on the left side, the left arm, just nausea, a little discomfort in the central chest,” mentioned Whitsitt. “The people at the hospital said had I been almost anywhere else, I probably would not be here.”

The WSMV story also cites a rather sobering statistic from the American Heart Association indicating that "the survival rate for someone going into cardiac arrest is only about 10% unless CPR is started right away."

Click here to learn more about registering for CPR and AED training from the American Red Cross.