The Los Angeles Fire Department has joined with the PulsePoint Foundation and The Wireless Foundation to bring life-saving technology to Angelenos via PulsePoint, a mobile app designed to increase citizen awareness of cardiac events beyond a traditional “witnessed” area and engage them in potentially life-saving CPR. 

The partnership was formally launched Wednesday, March 4th at an event at Woodrow Wilson High School in El Sereno where 120 students became CPR trained. Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas was joined by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, LAUSD ESC-East Superintendent Roberto Martinez, PulsePoint Foundation President Richard Price and The Wireless Foundation Executive Director Athena Polydorou to discuss the LAFD’s rollout of the free PulsePoint app.

"This app connects trained lifesavers who may already be on scene with people who need immediate help, when seconds count the most," Mayor Garcetti said. "My back to basics agenda is focused on implementing technologies that can make a difference in ways that are most important to our residents, and there is no greater priority than emergency response. I want to see this app activate an army of civilian first responders across Los Angeles," said Mayor Eric Garcetti.

“At LAUSD we save lives by teaching our students to read and write so they can be future college graduates. Partnering with LAFD to save more lives is in line with our mission to strengthen and support safe, stable, and successful schools,” said Board Member Mónica García. “We welcome our new partners including Chief Terrazas, the committed men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department, and the PulsePoint Foundation to train more teachers, students, and our community in the use of hands-only CPR.”
    
“Our new partnership with PulsePoint allows the LAFD to help save lives with our smartphones, which is technology that most of us already have in hand,” said Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas. “I am excited that Angelenos have another crucial tool at their fingertips that can help them further engage with their communities and fire department.”

Targeted toward off-duty professionals and citizens trained in CPR, the PulsePoint app alerts users when a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) occurs in a nearby public place, directs them to the patient location and provides CPR guidance while LAFD paramedic units are en route to the call. The app also notifies users of the closest available Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Early application of bystander CPR and rapid defibrillation from an AED have proven to be crucial in improving a person’s chance of surviving SCA. PulsePoint is not limited to emergency responders or those with official CPR certification. It can be used by anyone who has been trained in CPR. 

The PulsePoint app also provides users with a display of the LAFD’s active and recent incidents citywide. On average, the LAFD responds to nearly 1,200 daily calls for service; more than 85 percent are for emergency medical services. 

“Our youth represent the next generation of CPR-trained citizens. These students living in a connected world have come to expect technology to improve their lives and the lives of those around them,” said Richard Price, founder and president of the PulsePoint Foundation. “The premise of a PulsePoint Connected community truly resonates with them and they have proven to be active participants in this strengthening of the Chain of Survival.”

“Wireless technology plays a critical role in our everyday lives, and the PulsePoint app is a perfect example of how location-based services, apps, smartphones and crowdsourcing help save lives,” said Athena Polydorou, Executive Director of The Wireless Foundation. “The Wireless Foundation is proud to sponsor the roll out of PulsePoint and bring this life saving service to Los Angeles City.” 

“PulsePoint is a great way to engage bystanders in emergency response and this new Los Angeles partnership will empower a future generation of CPR responders,” said Brian Webster, president and CEO of Physio-Control, PulsePoint’s marketing and implementation partner. “With PulsePoint offering lifesaving technology, the Los Angeles Fire Department contributing high quality CPR expertise, and the Los Angeles Unified School District building a program that engages students, this is truly a model program for engaging a community to respond to sudden cardiac arrest.”
     
The free PulsePoint app is available for iPhone and Android and can be downloaded from the iTunes Store and Google Play. 

About the PulsePoint Foundation

PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the use of location-aware mobile devices PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens, empowering them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Deployment of the PulsePoint app can significantly strengthen the “chain of survival” by improving bystander response to cardiac arrest victims and increasing the chance that lifesaving steps will be taken prior to the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS). PulsePoint is supported by the Wireless Foundation, built and maintained by volunteer engineers at Workday and distributed by our marketing and implementation partner Physio-Control, Inc. Learn more at www.pulsepoint.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter.

About the Wireless Foundation

The Wireless Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to developing and supporting initiatives that use wireless technology to help American communities. The Foundation’s innovative programs benefit consumers in areas such as education, healthcare, safety and the environment. The Foundation was formed by CTIA-The Wireless Association® member companies in 1991. Learn more at www.wirelessfoundation.org.

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Although a heart attack can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the two are not the same. SCA is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly, whereas a heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, but the heart continues to beat. Each year, more than 420,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur, making it the leading cause of death in the United States. Survival rates nationally for SCA are less than eight percent, but delivery of CPR can sustain life until paramedics arrive by maintaining vital blood flow to the heart and brain.  However, only about a third of SCA victims receive bystander CPR. Without CPR, brain damage or death can occur in minutes. The average EMS response time is nine minutes, even in urban settings; after 10 minutes there is little chance of successful resuscitation. The American Heart Association estimates that effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after SCA, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

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