A free mobile app will allow everyday citizens to help Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical save people’s lives.
If someone is experiencing sudden cardiac arrest and may need CPR, the app, PulsePoint Respond, sends a realtime alert to nearby app subscribers who report that they’re trained to give CPR and willing to assist in an emergency.
“If the cardiac emergency is in a public place, the location-aware application will alert users in the vicinity of the need for CPR simultaneous with the dispatch of advanced medical care,” according to a news release from LDCFM.
The app can also send notifications about many public safety incidents, including car crashes, fires, water rescues, floods and more.
“With PulsePoint we hope to increase bystander involvement in time-sensitive medical calls by increasing bystander CPR, while also keeping the community informed of incidents which may directly impact them, such as motor vehicle collisions,” Tom Fagan, LDCFM division chief of administration, said in the release.
“It gives our residents and visitors the ability to know when a cardiac arrest is occurring close by in a public location and perform potentially lifesaving CPR while our personnel responds to the scene. This app will help save lives in Douglas County.”
The American Heart Association estimates that getting CPR fast can double or triple a person’s chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest. Starting CPR quickly can also help prevent brain damage caused by lack of blood flow.
The app also allows businesses and locations that have AEDs (automated external defibrillators) available for use to display them on a map.
The free app is available from the App Store and Google Play. Learn more about the app here.
