PulsePoint

The Norwich Township Fire Department is proud to announce a partnership with the PulsePoint mobile application platform. The PulsePoint app empowers everyday citizens to provide life‐saving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest. Application users 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 EMS. The app also directs these citizen rescuers to the exact location of the closest publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Each year, approximately 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital setting in the United States. Nearly 90% of these events prove fatal and the chance of survival decreases by 10% with every passing minute without CPR.

Imagine that you are in a restaurant having lunch with a few friends. You hear a siren in the distance and think to yourself, “I wonder where they are going?” The siren gets louder and closer and then you actually see a fire engine approaching in the distance. Suddenly, surprisingly, the engine turns into the parking lot and parks right in front of the crowded restaurant where you’re eating. That’s when you learn that right next door, someone is unconscious after suffering a cardiac arrest. If you only knew, maybe you could have made a difference.

The PulsePoint app connects directly to the Northwest Regional Communication Center; our 911 dispatch. When an incident requiring CPR is reported, nearby citizens and off-duty responders, who carry the app, receive a notification on their mobile device. Notifications are made simultaneously with the dispatch of paramedics to anyone within the area that is CPR-trained and has indicated their willingness and ability to assist during a cardiac emergency. These notifications are only made if the victim is in a public place and only to potential rescuers that are in the immediate vicinity of the emergency. When notifications do occur, they intend to target potential citizen rescuers that are primarily within walking distance of the event. 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.

At the time of need, users that have opted-in receive a push notification accompanied by a distinctive alert tone. The notification is followed by a map display showing the dispatched location of the emergency along with the precise location of the citizen rescuer – providing for easy navigation between the two. The map display also shows the exact location of the nearest AEDs.

The free app is available for download on iTunes and Google Play. After download, click the menu pull-down button in the upper left of the screen, select “Agencies”, and search for Norwich. After you have added Norwich as an agency, select “Settings” from the same menu and ensure you have notifications turned on for CPR. If you have questions or need assistance with the app, please call (614) 876-7694.

Click HERE for more information on CPR classes with the Norwich Township Fire Department.