Brian Schaeffer, Assistant Chief, No Phone Number Available
Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at 4:45 p.m.
One thousand lives are lost to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) every day, often occurring in active, outwardly healthy people with no known heart disease or other health problems. In our continuous effort to improve the survival rate from SCA in Spokane, the Spokane Fire Department is launching a lifesaving app called PulsePoint. We are one of only a small, but growing, group of innovative departments to integrate PulsePoint into their communities.
Citizens who are CPR trained can download the PulsePoint app via the Apple Store or Android Market and indicate that they are willing to assist if needed. Starting Wednesday, Feb. 12, reports of persons unconscious, unresponsive, and likely needing CPR will trigger an alert to nearby citizens who have installed the PulsePoint app. When citizens are alerted, the app indicates their present location, the location of the patient, and the location of any nearby Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).
The official launch of the lifesaving PulsePoint app is Friday, Feb. 14, and will include a news conference at 10 a.m. at the Spokane Fire Department's Training Facility Field House, 1618 N Rebecca Rd, Spokane, WA 99212.
The Spokane Fire Department will continue to dispatch the normal amount of personnel and resources on these calls. This app is simply an opportunity for our community to work together to continue to increase the survival rate of citizens suffering from sudden cardiac arrest.
We encourage all citizens to become CPR trained and to download the app. You can access CPR training by attending group training sessions at community events, using take home DVD based courses, and watching the online Hands Only CPR training video. More citizens with PulsePoint means more lives can be saved.
