STAUNTON – The City of Staunton Fire and Rescue has issued a press release announcing the launch of two life-saving mobile apps to further the city’s commitment to creating a healthy and civic-engaged community.
The free mobile apps (PulsePoint Respond and PulsePoint AED) serve three purposes:
Alerts CPR-trained citizens to cardiac events in their area so they can provide assistance. Helps build a comprehensive automated external defibrillator (AED) registry. Notifies the community of emergency activity in real-time.
PulsePoint Respond enables everyday citizens to provide life-saving assistance to victims close to them. When a user sets up the app for the first time, they will be prompted to enter their CPR training status. Only users trained in CPR will receive notifications when a nearby cardiac emergency occurs. If the emergency occurs in a public place, the location-aware application alerts nearby trained users to the need for CPR while initiating advanced medical care. The application also directs these would-be rescuers to the exact location of the nearest AED. The app is available for download by the general public regardless of their CPR training status. For those not trained in CPR, the app works like a scanner and allows users to view ongoing emergency calls.
PulsePoint AED allows users to help build a community registry of AED locations. Users can report and update these locations so that emergency responders, including nearby citizens, can find an AED near them in the event of a cardiac emergency. Users with the PulsePoint AED app can help establish registration by describing the location of the AED and adding a picture. Local authorities will verify these locations before they are made available to users of the app.
“We hope that with PulsePoint we can increase bystander participation in time-sensitive medical interventions by increasing the use of CPR and AEDs while keeping the community updated on all emergency activities in real time,” said Lt. Adam Nulty. “It gives our residents and visitors the ability to identify when nearby cardiac arrest is occurring, locate AEDs in the area, and potentially provide life-saving CPR while our on-site staff respond. Also, general information for all 9-1-1 calls will be displayed to better keep community members informed of what’s happening in our community.”
Both applications can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play. For more information about PulsePoint, visit: www.pulsepoint.org
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