King County Fire Chiefs/Medic One Foundation Adopt Life-Saving App
Published on June 02, 2022
Media Contact:
Sue Romero
sromero@kirklandwa.gov
425-587-3017
King County Fire Chiefs Association and Medic One Foundation today announced the county-wide launch of PulsePoint, a free life-saving mobile app that notifies users when someone nearby is in cardiac arrest and needs immediate help. The announcement highlights National CPR & AED Awareness Week, June 1-7, 2022.
“When a person goes into sudden cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR reduces their chance of survival, so immediate help from a bystander who can do CPR is critical,” said Dr. Tom Rea, Emergency Medical Services Program Director for King County.
Download the PulsePoint app
PulsePoint is like an AMBER alert for sudden cardiac arrest victims. It uses location-based technology to alert community members to a sudden cardiac arrest in their immediate vicinity so they can get to the victim first and start hands-only CPR in those critical, life-saving minutes before first responders are able to arrive. The app only alerts individuals to a cardiac arrest in public locations, not a private residence, and will now be available for the first time county-wide. In addition, the companion app, PulsePoint AED, allows users to report and update public AED locations so that community members can find a nearby AED when a cardiac emergency occurs. King County 911 dispatchers will also be able to access and share these AED locations with 911 callers.
“The PulsePoint app means community members can help save lives by administering hands-only CPR,” said Kirkland Fire Chief Joe Sanford. “Whether neighbor or stranger, they can provide immediate help to someone in sudden cardiac arrest when they need it most – in those crucial minutes before medics get there.”
This joint effort by King County fire departments, NORCOM 911, Valley Communications, King County Fire Chiefs Association and Medic One Foundation aims to recruit and empower more than 20,000 community members throughout King County to download the free app and become PulsePoint responders. No training is needed and whether or not someone responds is completely optional.
Enumclaw Fire Chief Randy Fehr said, “Our citizens are an integral part of the chain of survival and being notified by the PulsePoint app that someone nearby is in cardiac arrest can mean the difference between life and death.”
With a grant from the Aldarra Foundation, Medic One Foundation is working with local fire agencies to bring PulsePoint to more communities in King and Snohomish counties. King County fire departments joins Seattle, Snohomish County and other fire agencies in western Washington that participate in PulsePoint.
The free PulsePoint app is available for iPhone and Android and can be Downloaded here. Both PulsePoint and PulsePoint AED are also available for free download at the Apple App Store and on Google Play. For more information, visit Medic One Foundation.
Media can access materials and additional information by calling Lee Keller at 206.799.3805.
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About the Medic One Foundation
The Medic One Foundation's mission is to save lives by improving pre-hospital emergency care. We fund extraordinary training for our region's paramedics and innovative research to develop new methods of pre-hospital emergency care that improve survival rates and patient outcomes. The Medic One Foundation is a major reason why Seattle and King County have a survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest that is among the highest in the world. For more information, or to get involved, go to www.mediconefoundation.org.
About the King County Fire Chiefs Association (KCFCA)
KCFCA promotes fire prevention through legislation and education. We offer technical information and guidance and continue to encourage research and development of better firefighting techniques and equipment for fire suppression. We also strive to cultivate a closer fraternal fellowship between the branches of the fire service that serve King County, including EMS, Fire Prevention, Fire Suppression, Chief Officers, and Emergency Management personnel.
About Norcom 911
NORCOM is a consolidated 911 call-taking and dispatching communications center founded in 2007 by twenty public safety organizations in the northeast region of King County. The mission of NORCOM is to be a caring and trusted servant to those who need help and those who provide help. In addition, NORCOM manages two radio systems, supports two computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems, hosts multiple technology solutions, and provides 24/7/365 IT support for its staff and user agencies.
About Valley Communications Center
Located in Kent, Washington, Valley Communications Center is the Regional 9-1-1 Center that provides emergency communications services to communities of South King County. Valley Com, as we are known, is responsible for answering emergency 9-1-1 calls and dispatching resources such as police officers, firefighters and paramedics to citizens requiring assistance. Our service area spans from Seattle’s southern border to a few blocks south of the Pierce County line and from Vashon Island to the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range.
About PulsePoint
PulsePoint is a public 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation that builds applications for use by public safety agencies to increase community awareness during critical events. The PulsePoint Respond mobile app notifies trained individuals of the nearby need for CPR and the PulsePoint AED registry identifies AED (automated external defibrillator) locations for use by the public and 9-1-1 telecommunicators during emergency call taking. PulsePoint also provides specialized mobile apps for professional responders. Learn more at pulsepoint.org.