Fairbanks North Star Borough is Alaska’s third largest municipality, with a population of approximately 100,000 citizens and home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The class-two borough (meaning it is subject to less government control, relying primarily on voter approval) has 11 fire departments and 321 firefighters, most of whom are volunteers. This subarctic borough is surrounded by hundreds of miles of sparsely populated areas. Given its geographic isolation and harsh climate, the city has been largely self-reliant and dependent on a high level of community engagement.
The borough sought to address the rural community challenges of low bystander engagement and slower response times in out-of-hospital (OOH) sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) response. Supported by the Interior Fire Chiefs, then-University of Alaska Fairbanks Fire Chief Douglas R. Schrage spearheaded the borough’s efforts to address cardiac arrest response times and survival rates. Within the first two years of implementing PulsePoint Respond, PulsePoint Verified Responder and PulsePoint AED, the borough of Fairbanks greatly exceeded their participation and performance goals, ultimately contributing to higher cardiac arrest survival rates. They did this through a comprehensive strategy that included:
* Participation in the C.A.R.E.S. Registry and Resuscitation Academy
* Bystander CPR training, CPR and AED awareness programs
* Strategic AED placement
* Full-suite launch of PulsePoint
Read the full case study for details about the borough’s approach to improving sudden cardiac arrest survival and outcomes.
To hear more about how Fairbanks was able to successfully launch this program, tune in to Chief Schrage’s interview on Key the Mic.
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