When you call for emergency services while experiencing a health complication, it can be pretty scary trying to remain calm while you wait for them. As reliable as ambulances tend to be, emergency drivers aren’t infallible, and it sometimes takes longer than they expected to get to you. With the power of the internet and smart devices, though, you can get first aid mere minutes after you need it.
Newly deployed in Douglas County, Colorado, PulsePoint Respond is a special phone app for contacting nearby first aid responders. Users of the app are registered CPR-certified individuals, and when someone puts in a 911 call, the emergency response team can use PulsePoint to contact them for quicker aid. The app is primarily intended to aid those who experience cardiac arrest, but it can be used for other complications as well.
PulsePoint only sends aid out to public places, but that’s still quite important, especially around the holiday season. According to the American Heart Association, public heart attacks occur around the holidays more than any time of year. Anyone within a quarter mile of the call can be notified to come help, and when you’re in the vice grip of a heart attack, speedy aid is crucial.
The app is still in its early stages, so not many users have applied. The American Heart Association estimates, however, that if the app can build a good-sized userbase, heart attack survival rates could double, or even triple.
