PulsePoint: Accessing the Closest Help to Treat Cardiac Arrests

By James Careless, All Things FirstNet

Every day in the United States, about 1,000 people suffer cardiac arrests. Every minute that passes between a cardiac arrest and the administration of aid decreases their chance of survival by 10%. Clearly, the sooner that medical assistance arrives, the better.

Speeding the arrival of help is the goal of the PulsePoint Foundation (PulsePoint), a 501(c)(3) public nonprofit organization. Mindful that even the fastest-dispatched EMS and fire agencies can take precious minutes to arrive, PulsePoint recruits CPR-trained volunteers to step in when they are closer to the scene. This is possible due to these volunteers running the free PulsePoint Respond app on their smartphones (available in Android and Apple iOS), and living in jurisdictions whose local 911 centers have registered to forward cardiac-related calls to PulsePoint as the calls come in.

IAFC Recommends Use of Mobile Technology to Activate Citizens and First Responders to Improve Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survival Rates

CHANTILLY, Va. (May 22, 2018) —The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) supports the use of mobile technology for citizen response in conjunction with community cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) programs. In a Position Statement adopted May 9, the IAFC Board of Directors cited the PulsePoint mobile phone application (app) as a unique solution to increase survival from sudden cardiac arrest by bridging the gap between a cardiac arrest event and arrival of medical assistance. According to the Position Statement, “Applications such as…

International Association of Fire Chiefs and PulsePoint Foundation Announce Global Strategic Partnership to Increase Cardiac Arrest Survival Rates

Collaboration aims to increase awareness and use of PulsePoint and expand the role of fire and emergency services in emerging digital trends. Fairfax, VA (July 17, 2017) — The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the PulsePoint Foundation (PulsePoint) today announced a strategic partnership to reinforce the use of mobile phones and apps to connect nearby CPR-trained citizens and off-duty professional rescuers with people in cardiac arrest. The collaboration also endeavors to develop strategies for utilizing public safety data in new and innovative ways. The alliance will be…