Contra Costa County Fire Departments launch new app to help save lives with CPR.
February 8th, 2013The fire departments served by the Contra Costa Regional Fire Communications Center (CCRFCC) launched the new PulsePoint app on February 5, 2013. The participating agencies include Contra Costa County Fire, Moraga-Orinda Fire, Crockett-Carquinez Fire, East Contra Costa Fire, and Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection Districts as well as the City of Pinole Fire Department. The launch of this innovative application was made possible through close collaboration and support of the PulsePoint Foundation and the Contra Costa County Emergency Medical Services Agency.
The PulsePoint app is designed to support public safety agencies working to improve cardiac arrest survival rates through improved bystander performance and active citizenship. The app empowers everyday citizens to provide life‐saving assistance to victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Application users who have indicated they are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and willing to assist in case of an emergency can now be notified if someone nearby is having a cardiac emergency and may require CPR. If the cardiac emergency is in a public place, the location-aware application will alert trained citizens in the vicinity of the need for bystander CPR simultaneous with the dispatch of advanced medical care. The application also directs these citizen rescuers to the exact location of the closest publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
“The deployment of the PulsePoint app is the next step in developing a comprehensive network of life-saving efforts that includes fire department first responders, ambulance transport providers, the placement of publicly accessible AEDs, hospital emergency departments, and members of the public who are trained in CPR. This technology gives us the ability to notify people when and where their assistance is needed in order to help save a life in their community” said Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Fire Chief Daryl Louder.
In addition to life-saving CPR notifications, the application provides a complete virtual window into select emergency communication centers worldwide. Mobile users have real-time access to emergency activity as it’s occurring in these communities.
App users are able to view active incidents – including the current response status of dispatched units (en route, on scene, etc.) – and instantly pinpoint incident locations on an interactive map. Curious as to where that fire engine or ambulance that just passed is headed? Is there an accident up ahead causing this traffic tie-up? Just tap the application to quickly find the incident location or plan an alternate route. A log of recent incidents and a photo gallery of significant events can also be easily accessed.
Users can also choose to be notified of incidents by type when they are dispatched and listen in on live emergency radio traffic via the modern version of the traditional fire scanner.
To install the PulsePoint app simply search PulsePoint in the Apple App Store or in Android Apps on Google Play.
To find out more about learning how to perform CPR, visit www.heart.org/cpr.
Click to see our public service announcement video on the PulsePoint application.
PULSEPOINT FOUNDATION
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area whose goal is to make it much easier for citizens who are trained in CPR to use their life saving skills to do just that… save lives! Through the use of modern, location-aware mobile devices PulsePoint is building applications that work with local Fire Departments, EMS agencies, and Police Departments to improve communications with citizens and empower them to help reduce the estimated 1,000,000 worldwide annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. www.pulsepoint.org.