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Community Corner

Suffolk Implements PulsePoint Smartphone App

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. It’s the first municipal phone application on the East Coast that empowers CPR-trained residents to provide life-saving assistance to those in cardiac arrest.

Option1: “Suffolk County will continue to invest in new forms of technology that have the potential to provide life-saving assistance to our residents,” said County Executive Bellone. “I ask all CPR-trained residents to download and explore Suffolk County’s PulsePoint App.  It will alert you of the nearest victim of sudden cardiac arrest as well as the location of the nearest automatic defibrillator.”

Option2: “Today, Suffolk County residents became a phone application closer to superhero status,” said Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone.  “CPR-trained residents will now have the ability to provide life-saving assistance to someone in cardiac arrest by using a location-aware mobile application.” 

“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.  “Even if we save one life – this is a worthwhile initiative.”

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.

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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

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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.

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