The Henderson Fire Department, partnering with the nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation, is providing a free app that alerts a person when they are within a quarter mile of someone in a public place who needs cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or an automated external defibrillator (AED). The new app is available today to coincide with Heart Month.
By raising citizen awareness of cardiac arrest events, usage of the PulsePoint Respond app can increase the survival rates of cardiac arrest victims by reducing collapse-to-CPR times. A leading cause of death in the United States, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) accounts for an estimated 356,000 deaths each year. “Nationally, fewer than 6 percent of those suffering a sudden cardiac arrest will survive,” said Henderson Fire Chief Shawn White. “A community-based response can move that percentage. An immediate response to an SCA can be provided by the community, as well as emergency responders.“