The Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Albany Fire Department, Tangent Fire District, and Samaritan Health Services are pleased to announce the availability of a powerful lifesaving tool. The PulsePoint smartphone app empowers residents to take action during a cardiac event, while awaiting response by EMS professionals. The launch of PulsePoint Respond, which alerts CPR-trained citizens of nearby cardiac arrest incidents and emergencies requiring CPR, is slated for February 14th. Our hope is that Valentine’s Day will also give awareness to the health of our hearts.
The app 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 sudden cardiac arrest (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.
Linn County residents will find eight Linn County community Fire Departments and Districts are PulsePoint participants: Albany Fire Department, Brownsville Rural Fire District, Harrisburg Fire District, Halsey-Shedd Rural Fire Protection District, Lebanon Fire District, Tangent Fire District, Sweet Home Fire District and Scio Fire District.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office answered 60,834 calls for 9-1-1 assistance in 2016. “When you call 9-1-1 for help in Linn County, someone at the Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center answers the other end of the line,” said Sheriff Bruce Riley. “From there, we may transfer that call to another agency, or dispatch units to respond. Most people may not realize the Sheriff’s Office works closely every day with our Fire and EMS partners, because we dispatch all Fire/EMS agencies in Linn County, as well as our own deputy sheriffs. Today, with PulsePoint, we’ve taken that partnership to another level, and we’re very excited to leverage advancing technology to help save lives.”
“PulsePoint has the capability to save lives in our community and the Albany Fire Department is thrilled to play a part in making it available”, said Chief John Bradner. “The chances of surviving a cardiac arrest event increase significantly with early notification of 9-1-1 and rapid intervention of bystander CPR before paramedics arrive. With PulsePoint, the public can now play an active part in saving lives in Albany and throughout Linn County.”
The PulsePoint app also provides users with a display of your local Fire Service’s active and recent incidents county-wide. On average, Albany Fire responds to 35 daily calls for service; more than 85 percent are for emergency medical services.
“The project expands PulsePoint coverage to over 118,000 citizens of Linn County over an area of 2,290 square miles,” said Sandy Roberts, Albany Fire’s PIO. “PulsePoint is a powerful new tool for us to engage with our community to improve cardiac arrest survival rates.”
Download the
PulsePoint App Here