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November 27, 2023

911-initiated AED Response: Would you be willing to bring your AED to someone nearby experiencing a cardiac arrest?

While AED registries have traditionally been used to meet regulatory requirements, the growing use of dispatch-accessible, time-of-need emergency AED registries offers meaningful new opportunities to increase the use of these lifesaving devices. In addition to telecommunicator initiatives, communities are going further by using their registries to alert AED owners and program volunteers to nearby cardiac arrest events.

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November 21, 2023

Eugene-Springfield, Oregon Wins 2023 PulsePoint AED Contest

HEARTsafe Eugene Springfield receives a $5,000 grant for the purchase of public defibrillators.

The PulsePoint Foundation, a public non-profit 501(c)(3), announced that HEARTsafe Eugene Springfield (OR) has won the 2023 PulsePoint AED Contest, winning a $5,000 grant to purchase AEDs (automated external defibrillators) for their community. HEARTsafe Eugene Springfield is a partner organization of Eugene Springfield Fire and PeaceHealth. The contest took place during the month of October, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, and was eligible to any community using PulsePoint AED to locate and register AEDs. HEARTsafe Eugene Springfield collectively registered a record number of AEDs, 406, at locations throughout the city including schools, government buildings, local businesses and gyms. The newly registered AEDs are part of the 650 AEDs locally that are in the process of being vetted by public safety personnel so their location is available to emergency responders during cardiac emergencies.

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PulsePoint Responder and Survivor Challenge Coins

September 5, 2023

More than Statistics

Jim and Alexandra Stears were at home when Jim suddenly went into cardiac arrest while watching TV. Luckily, their neighbor is Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Lt. Jason Morgan, who was at home when he received a PulsePoint Professional Responder alert on his phone indicating that CPR was needed at a private residence...next door. Morgan retrieved his Philips AED, which he obtained through the PulsePoint Professional Responder pilot program, and made his way to the Stears' home, with his wife and son by his side. When Alexandra opened the door she was initially surprised by EMS' quick response, but then soon realized it was her neighbor and later remarked, "Oh, that's good. He's got the right training." Jim went on to make a full recovery after receiving high-quality CPR and a shock from the defibrillator, all before crews arrived.

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August 6, 2023

APCO Intellicomm and PulsePoint provide free integration, displaying AED locations for 9-1-1 telecommunicators

Public safety telecommunicators utilizing APCO’s IntelliComm software can now quickly direct 9-1-1 callers during time-critical cardiac emergencies to the closest automated external defibrillator (AED). The life-saving advancement comes from the implementation of an AED geolocation plan between APCO’s IntelliComm and the PulsePoint Foundation.

The tool enables 9-1-1 telecommunicators to inform callers of the location of AEDs while using existing medical dispatch protocols within IntelliComm’s software, with no changes to workflow—saving critical time during life-threatening emergencies.

Each year in the U.S., there are approximately 360,000 Emergency Medical Services (EMS)-assessed cardiac arrests outside of a hospital and on average, less than 10 percent of victims survive. The keys to survival are early recognition, early CPR and early defibrillation. Action taken by bystanders prior to the arrival of EMS results in victims being two to three times more likely to survive.

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NH911 New Release

April 3, 2023

New Hampshire 911 Encourages AED Registration, Announces Initiative To Make Registering Easier Than Ever

The New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Emergency Services and Communications (DESC) proudly announces a new initiative that will make registering new Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) easier than ever before for New Hampshire businesses, thanks to collaborative efforts between the PulsePoint Foundation and Google.

On Monday, April 3, 2023, Google sent an email to all businesses in the State of New Hampshire that have created a business profile on their platform, encouraging them to register new AEDs that are not yet in the statewide database. The email included a link to the PulsePoint AED registration website, where Google will pre-populate the business’ location information, making it easy for business owners to complete the registration process.

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February 9, 2023

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.

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Michael Sayre, M.D., Medical Director

January 5, 2023

Op-Ed: What Communities Can Learn About Cardiac Response from Damar Hamlin Incident

By Dr. Michael Sayre, MD, Medical Director for the Seattle Fire Department and PulsePoint and Professor of Emergency Medicine at University of Washington

The unsettling collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a Monday Night Football game brought sudden cardiac arrest to the attention of millions of Americans. Surviving sudden cardiac arrest relies on immediate medical attention, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation and AED (automated external defibrillator) use. Mr. Hamlin was fortunate in that he was quickly surrounded by medical professionals armed with an emergency action plan, and experienced paramedics joined them within minutes. Now, even with the best, most rapid care, Americans are learning that recovery from cardiac arrest takes time.

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November 29, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue Wins 2022 PulsePoint AED Contest

City of Palm Beach Gardens received a $5,000 grant for the purchase of public defibrillators.

The PulsePoint Foundation, a public non-profit 501(c)(3), announced today that Palm Beach Gardens Fire & Rescue (FL) has won the 2022 PulsePoint AED Contest, winning a $5,000 grant to purchase AEDs (automated external defibrillators) for their community.

The contest took place during the month of October, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, and was eligible to any community using PulsePoint AED to locate and register AEDs. Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue collectively registered 179 AEDs at locations throughout the city including schools, government buildings, local businesses and gyms. Once the newly registered AEDs are vetted by public safety personnel their location will be made available to emergency responders during cardiac emergencies.

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August 22, 2022

San Francisco Launches Use of PulsePoint Mobile App to Help Save Lives

The PulsePoint Respond mobile phone application will increase community awareness of medical emergencies and alert and direct CPR-trained individuals nearby to cardiac arrest victim.

The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management and City officials today announced the launch of PulsePoint, a mobile phone application (PulsePoint app) designed to support public safety agencies increasing cardiac arrest survival rates through improved bystander performance and active resident support.

“Time is of the upmost importance when it comes to helping someone experiencing a cardiac arrest. The PulsePoint app provides this critical element: closing the time gap between when CPR is started,” said San Francisco Fire Department Chief Jeanine Nicholson. “We want anyone willing and able to conduct CPR on someone experiencing cardiac arrest to download the PulsePoint app. This way bystanders and emergency medical first responders can work together to save lives.”

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July 11, 2022

The Western Fire Chiefs Association Introduces It’s Wildland Fire Map to Communities and News Sources, Protecting Lives and Land

As the country prepares for a summer of excessive heat and drought, the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) introduces its Fire Map to provide near real-time information about active wildfires.

“The current climate situation is incredibly scary,” said Chief Mark Niemeyer, Board President of the WFCA and Fire Chief of the Boise Fire Department. “The WFCA is providing public access to definitive information around the paths of wildfires so that communities can quickly take action,” said Niemeyer.

The WFCA Fire Map pulls data from the US Forest Service via the National Interagency Fire Center IRWIN feed, and 911 Dispatch data via PulsePoint to track the location of the wildfire as they start and while they’re burning. The WFCA Fire Map is the first map of its kind to pull such data from 911 Dispatch in relevant areas.

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