Why consider a CPR certification course? Did you know that during cardiac arrest, the odds of survival decrease by 7% to 10% every minute, and the average response time for emergency personnel is 8 to 12 minutes? When CPR can be started right away, the patient’s chance for survival can double or even triple.* In a study reported by the National Institute of Health, survival rates for cardiac arrest were extremely low when bystander CPR was not administered.