Holbrook, N.Y. (February 20, 2014) – Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone joined Fire Rescue Emergency Services (FRES) Commissioner Joe Williams along with members of the Suffolk County EMS, the Suffolk County Joint Chiefs Association, the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council at the Holbrook Fire Department to announce the implementation of the Suffolk County PulsePoint App today. The new service, funded through federal grants, is the first municipal phone application on the East Coast that empowers CPR-trained residents to provide life-saving assistance to those in cardiac arrest.
“Suffolk County will continue to utilize the latest technological advances to provide life-saving assistance to our residents,” said County Executive Bellone. “With hundreds of residents and emergency management personnel signed up in the first 24-hours, I ask any and all CPR-trained residents to download the application, sign-up for the service and join those who are already users of this life saving service.”
“This is about unleashing the potential of trained citizenry to respond to incidents of cardiac arrests if paramedics cannot arrive in time,” said FRES Commissioner Joe Williams. “This is a worthwhile initiative that will save lives.”
Available on the Apple and Android App store, Suffolk County’s PulsePoint App alerts CPR-trained bystanders to victims of sudden cardiac arrest that may require CPR. An interactive map feature directs users to the nearest location of an Automatic External Defibrillator as well.
When a 911 call is received by Suffolk County’s FRES reporting someone unconscious, unresponsive and likely needing CPR, FRES will dispatch emergency resources as they normally do, but in addition integrated PulsePoint software will send an immediate alert to CPR-trained residents.
“Hundreds of residents have downloaded the application in the first 24 hours,” said Joel Vetter, Coordinator of Suffolk County’s FRES. “We expect tens of thousands to sign-up in the next 30 days which represents an immediate impact on response times to victims of cardiac arrest.”
“This new technology will be a life-saving tool that will assist first responders,” said Jay Egan, Chairman of the Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Commission. “The location of thousands of Automatic Defibrillator’s are available to users in this location-aware application.”
According to the American Heart Association (AHA) more than 1,000 people die each day from Sudden Cardiac Arrest in the United States. Different from a heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest is caused when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions and the heart stops working properly. CPR or AED use helps restore the heart’s normal rhythm. Health experts state that bystander CPR is a critical link in the chain of survival and has been shown to more than double a victim’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest.
After downloading the application, residents should click accept “Terms and Conditions,” enter the agency “Suffolk County” or the zip code, and then click enable “CPR” notifications.
About Pulse Point
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation with a mission to assist citizens who are trained in CPR to save lives. Through the use of modern, location-aware mobile devices, PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens and empower them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from Sudden Cardiac Arrest. More information can be found at www.pulsepoint.org.
County Executive Steve Bellone, Joe Williams Commissioner of FRES, John Jordan, Deputy Commissioner of FRES, Robert Delagi, Director Suffolk County EMS and Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Suffolk County Joint Chiefs Council
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