­­­Someone collapses nearby you at the gym, the store or even at work. They are showing the classic signs of sudden cardiac arrest: no heartbeat, no breathing. What do you do? How can you help?

Finding and deploying an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) can help save a life in those critical minutes before a paramedic arrives. In fact, you’re twice as likely to survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest if you receive both cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED assistance, compared to CPR alone. 

The PulsePoint AED app is the companion app to the PulsePoint Respond app,  which notifies nearby responders of a cardiac emergency through a ‘CPR needed’ alert, providing a map of the emergency’s location and identifying nearby approved AEDs.

The new app was developed by the Pleasanton, California-based nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation and distributed by Redmond, Washington-based emergency medical device company Physio-Control, Inc.

San Diego has used the PulsePoint AED app to build one of the most comprehensive and model AED registries in the country.

The PulsePoint AED app allows anyone in the community to submit an AED, including the exact location, description and photo of the AED. All submitted AEDs are verified by San Diego EMS professionals before they appear in PulsePoint Respond. When PulsePoint Respond issues a ‘CPR needed’ alert, providing the location of the emergency, it also provides the location of the nearest AEDs.

Download the apps through Google play or the Apple App store. Also, get trained in CPR and how to use AEDs and sign up to receive the alerts when your help may be needed. The American Red Cross, American Heart Association, and San Diego Project Heartbeat provide trainings throughout the year. You never know, you may just help save someone’s life!

Technology Helps Citizens Become Heroes 

Every minute a victim of sudden cardiac arrest waits for CPR, their chance of survival drops by up to 10 percent.

After four to six minutes, brain damage begins to occur. After 10 minutes, it’s often too late. Few resuscitation attempts succeed.

An innovative new smartphone application called PulsePoint now lets citizens trained in CPR know when their help is needed, allowing them to step in during those critical moments before a paramedic arrives. It is available in the San Diego region, thanks to the County and a coalition of local agencies.

The region is one of the largest in the U.S. to launch the app, which was developed by the Pleasanton, California-based nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation and distributed by Redmond, Washington-based emergency medical device company Physio-Control, Inc. San Diego joins the more than 500 localities around the nation that have begun using the app.

When a 9-1-1 call for sudden cardiac arrest comes in, an alert goes to the app at the same time first responders are dispatched. Citizens who are signed up for the app and nearby the incident are notified of the location of the victim as well as the closest publicly accessible AEDs.

How effective the app is in a community depends on citizen involvement. Get trained in CPR and sign up to receive the alerts. The American Red Cross, American Heart Association, and San Diego Project Heartbeat provide trainings throughout the year. You never know, you may just help save someone’s life! So please download the app through Google play or the Apple App store. Also available through PulsePoint is a companion app called PulsePoint AED, which allows the public to register the locations of publicly accessible AEDs in their community.

Download the App now!

To receive notifications and help save lives:

1-Download the free PulsePoint app

2-From the agency list, find and follow San Diego County fire departments

3-Go to settings and select the“CPR” notification box

PulsePoint PSA (San Diego County)

About the San Diego Fire Communications Centers

The five San Diego County Fire Communications Centers include:

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Monte Vista Inter-Agency Communication Center (MVCC)

City of Escondido

Heartland Communications Facility Authority (HCFA) or Heartland

North County Dispatch Joint Powers Authority (NCDJPA) or North Comm

City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department

The Fire Communications Centers serve as the public safety answering points for 9-1-1 calls originating from all San Diego County telephone exchanges,including 9-1-1 calls from cell phones in San Diego County. These calls can range from life or death assistance, to requests for road conditions, to animal control calls. As each call is received, the dispatcher makes a determination as to the urgency of the call; the jurisdiction responsible for response, and takes action.

The Fire Communication Centers dispatch fire and rescue units from CAL FIRE, US Forest Service, Volunteer Fire Protection Districts, and Municipal Fire and Rescue Agencies.

For CPR Training, Visit the Following Links: