'PulsePoint' Alert App Rolls Out Across King County

KING COUNTY, WA — King County fire departments and dispatching agencies have teamed up with the Medic One Foundation to expand access to the "PulsePoint" app, designed to help residents jump into action when someone closeby is experiencing cardiac arrest. The app aims to improve survival rates by enlisting CPR-trained bystanders to render early aid while first responders rush to the scene.

"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."

Officials describe the app as working similar to an AMBER alert and using location-based technology to identify and notify residents in the vicinity that someone needs help in a public location. Local dispatch centers sent the alert, with the goal of getting the victim just moments after a call comes in.

A companion app, PulsePoint AED, also asks users to log the locations of publicly accessible defibrillators, which dispatchers can access and share with 911 callers.

Since the app requires direct integration into local dispatching centers, it can only work in areas where fire agencies have signed on to participate. Thursday's announcement covers all King County fire departments, along with NORCOM and Calley Communications. Together, they hope to recruit more than 20,000 residents to sign up as "PulsePoint responders." King County joins Seattle, Snohomish County, and several other jurisdictions that have already implemented the program.

Residents can download the app for iPhone and Android devices and learn more about how it works via the Medic One Foundation.