Staunton Fire & Rescue launch apps to save lives

Monique Calello, Staunton News Leader
Updated ·2 min read
PulsePoint apps facilitate the administration of CPR, alert CPR-trained citizens and defibrillator locations as well as giving information about local fires, crashes and medical emergencies.
PulsePoint apps facilitate the administration of CPR, alert CPR-trained citizens and defibrillator locations as well as giving information about local fires, crashes and medical emergencies.

STAUNTON –The City of Staunton Fire & Rescue Department announced in a press release the rollout of two life-saving mobile apps to further the city’s commitment to creating a healthy and civically engaged community.

The free mobile apps (PulsePoint Respond and PulsePoint AED) serve three purposes:

  • Alerts CPR-trained citizens of cardiac events in their vicinity so they may administer aid.

  • Helps build a comprehensive Automated External Defibrillator (AED) registry.

  • Informs the community of emergency activity in real time.

PulsePoint Respond empowers everyday citizens to provide life-saving assistance to victims within their proximity. When a user initially sets up the app, they are prompted to enter their CPR training status. Only those users who are trained in CPR will receive alerts when a nearby cardiac emergency arises. If the emergency is in a public place, the location-aware application will alert trained users in the vicinity of the need for CPR, simultaneous with the dispatch of advanced medical care. The application also directs these potential rescuers to the exact location of the closest AED. The app is available for download by the general public, regardless of their CPR training status. For those who are not CPR-trained, the app functions like a scanner, enabling users to view emergency calls in progress.

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 close to them when a cardiac emergency occurs. Users with the PulsePoint AED app can help build the registry by describing the AED’s location and adding a picture; local authorities will verify these locations before they are made available tousers of the app.

“With PulsePoint we hope to increase bystander involvement in time-sensitive medical calls by increasing the use of CPR and AEDs, while also keeping the community informed, in real time, of all emergency activities,” said Lieutenant Adam Nulty. “It gives our residents and visitors the ability to know when a cardiac arrest is occurring close by, locate AEDs in the area, and perform potentially life-saving CPR while our personnel respond to the scene. It also shows the general information for all 9-1-1 calls to keep community members better informed of what’s going on in our community.”

Both applications are free for download on the App Store and Google Play. For more information about PulsePoint, visit: www.pulsepoint.org

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This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: PulsePoint CPR AED: Staunton Fire & Rescue launch apps to save lives