Today, South Sound 911 and all 19 local fire agencies in Pierce County are partnering to launch PulsePoint Respond to provide the public with information to help save lives with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
The free PulsePoint Respond mobile app empowers members of the public to provide life-saving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest until medical aid arrives. The app will alert CPR-trained subscribers to a potential need for CPR in the vicinity (in a public area) and the location of the nearest available automated external defibrillator (AED), if one exists.
If administered immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
“Each year, of the several hundred people that collapse of cardiac arrest in Pierce County only about 30 percent receive life-saving CPR efforts by citizens,” said Russ McCallion, Assistant Chief with East Pierce Fire & Rescue. “With the holidays approaching, stress levels tend to increase for many, and so do the cardiac arrest rates.”
“We’re hopeful the PulsePoint program will help drive up patient survival numbers enabling more citizens to be discharged from the hospital and home with their families… ALIVE.”
While the purpose of the app is to increase survival rates of cardiac arrest victims and to increase awareness of publicly accessible AEDs, PulsePoint Respond is not just a “CPR-notification app.” It also keeps the community informed of emergency fire and medical activity in real-time. Users can select and monitor any of the county’s 19 fire agencies and stay apprised of emergency and response activity in their jurisdiction – at the same time South Sound 911 fire dispatchers are dispatching aid.
PulsePoint Respond is available for free for both iOS and Android mobile devices in the App Store and Google Play.
Members of the public wishing to learn CPR are encouraged to contact their local fire department or the American Heart Association for information on local classes.