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 highlighted at Fire-Rescue International, the annual conference and expo of the IAFC being held in Charlotte, NC, July 26-29, 2017.

The PulsePoint app connects directly to local emergency communication centers. When an incident requiring CPR and an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is reported, nearby citizens and off-duty responders who carry the app receive a notification of the emergency simultaneously with traditional first responders. PulsePoint reduces collapse-to-CPR times by increasing awareness of cardiac arrest events beyond a traditional “witnessed” area. The system also aims to reduce collapse-to-defibrillation times through augmented awareness of AED locations.

“As a past fire chief and longtime member of the IAFC, I’m very familiar with the leadership this organization provides the industry,” said Richard Price, President of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation. “PulsePoint is using mobile technology to save lives and is pioneering uses of public safety data that until recently were unimaginable. This partnership will explore future data uses and develop strategies to help make public safety agencies more effective and impactful in their communities.”

Each year, approximately 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital setting in the United States. Nearly 90 percent of these events prove fatal, and the chance of survival decreases by ten percent with every passing minute without CPR.

“The IAFC considers the deployment of PulsePoint to be a best practice in fire and EMS and we look forward to helping our member agencies implement the technology. Recognizing the excruciatingly short window of opportunity to intervene during cardiac arrest, we need to reinforce the importance of improving the utilization of CPR-trained community members and off-duty personnel,” said John Sinclair, President of the IAFC and Fire Chief of Kittitas Valley (Wash.) Fire and Rescue.

Thomas Jenkins, IAFC First Vice President and Fire Chief of Rogers (Ark.) Fire Department emphasized the importance of PulsePoint to his community: “In Rogers, we have seen PulsePoint bring together the best of citizenship, technology, and medical care to save lives from cardiac arrest.”

“In addition to its flagship capability of summoning CPR assistance, the PulsePoint app displays other emergency activity occurring in the community. For on duty crews this can significantly improve situational awareness and confirm the real-time communication center connection to the public,” said Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder, International Director of the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section. “This makes the app much more interesting and engaging for citizens and off-duty personnel—ultimately increasing the size of the network available for cardiac arrest response.”

As part of the IAFC collaboration, PulsePoint has also partnered with the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) to increase awareness of the application and its lifesaving benefits. According to Mike Duyck, WFCA Director and Fire Chief of Tualatin Valley (Ore.) Fire & Rescue, “TVF&R was the first fire department in Oregon to launch the PulsePoint app for citizen responders and over the past four years we have witnessed firsthand its ability to save lives. We are now the first agency to pilot the professional version of the app, Verified Responder, which based on results to date, may mark the beginning of a national initiative with the help of the IAFC. Having lost my own father from sudden cardiac arrest, I am personally and professionally committed to sparing other families from potential heartbreak.”

About the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)

The IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. IAFC members are the world's leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for its members to exchange ideas, develop professionally and uncover the latest products and services available to first responders.

About the PulsePoint Foundation

PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the use of location-aware mobile devices, PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens and off-duty personnel, empowering them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. Learn more at pulsepoint.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter. The free app is available for download on iTunes and Google Play.

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Media Contacts

Jim Philipps
jphilipps@iafc.org
(703) 537-4829

Shannon Smith
shannon@pulsepoint.org
(773) 339-7513

Source: IAFC Press Release