ROYAL CITY - Grant County Hospital District No. 7, the City of Royal City and Grant County Fire District No. 10-11 have combined forces to address heart attack response time within the city.

Pooling resources, the three agencies purchased three new portable defibrillators to carry in the police department's patrol cars. In some cases, a police car my be the quickest way to deliver assistance in a cardiac incident.

These new defibrillators will enhance the availability of help. Defibrillators are already carried in fire department vehicles.

"When a recognizable cardiac call comes in, a policeman could be the first to get there," Fire Chief Brian Evans said.

Evans said response time could be cut even more by an informed public. He said it is critical that individuals recognize the signs of a heart attack.

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the signs aren't the same for everyone. Although the most common heart attack warning is chest pain, as many as one-third of victims don't suffer this pain.

Some victims don't show symptoms at all. And the same victim may have different symptoms for two different attacks.

The best way for someone to learn the signs of heart attack is to go to the NHLBI website and read about the subject.

The most common signs continue to be chest pain, discomfort in one or both arms, shortness of breath, Nausea and sleep problems.

The most important thing, the NHLBI says, is quick action when a heart attack is suspected. The best action is a call to 9-1-1 for help.