CSFD Brings Lifesaving Technology to Coral Springs and Parkland via PulsePoint, a 9-1-1 Integrated Mobile App

Coral Springs - Today, the Coral Springs Fire Department joined the PulsePoint Foundation and CTIA Wireless Foundation to extend life-saving technology in Broward County via the PulsePoint Respond app. The event was held at Fire Station 80 and was highlighted by messages from Mayor Skip Campbell, Fire Chief Frank Babinec and CTIA Wireless Foundation Executive Director Athena Polydorou. The speakers detailed the benefits of the mobile app, which alerts CPR-trained citizens of cardiac events in their vicinity so they may administer aid.

The app also notifies users of the closest available Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Early application of bystander CPR and rapid defibrillation from an AED have proven to be crucial in improving a person’s chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest. PulsePoint is not limited to emergency responders or those with official CPR certification, as it can be used by anyone who has been trained in CPR.

“Bringing PulsePoint and the AED registry to the region significantly strengthens the Chain of Survival in our community,” said Babinec. “It gives our residents and visitors the ability to know when a cardiac arrest is occurring close by, locate AEDs in the area, and perform potentially lifesaving CPR while our personnel respond to the scene.” Throughout the year, the Coral Springs Fire Department responds to nearly 15,000 incidents, including more than 100 cardiac arrest events.

“By directly alerting those who are qualified and nearby, possibly in the business next door or on the floor above, PulsePoint is able to put the right people in the right place at the right time,” said Richard Price, President of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation. The latest AHA guidelines, published in Circulation, state that such community programs could increase bystander CPR to the roughly 326,000 cardiac arrests that happen outside the hospital each year.

“The project expands PulsePoint coverage to the 155,850 residents of the City of Coral Springs and the City of Parkland over an area of nearly 37 square miles,” said Babinec. “The local system will also be supported by large numbers of existing PulsePoint users already living and traveling within Broward County.”

“Advancements in mobile technology such as location awareness, high-speed networks and apps that tap into a community’s open data are enabling individuals to connect directly with local governments and public safety organizations. This enhances quality of life for all citizens, and in the case of PulsePoint, actually empowers the community to help save lives,” said Polydorou. “On behalf of CTIA Wireless Foundation, I congratulate Coral Springs Fire Chief Frank Babinec and his team for embracing wireless technology to improve Sudden Cardiac Arrest outcomes. We are proud to sponsor this launch so that this life-saving app could be deployed at no cost to residents of Coral Springs and Parkland.”

The free PulsePoint app is available for iPhone and Android and can be downloaded from the iTunes Store and Google Play.

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Contact:

Michael Moser, Division Chief
Public Information Officer
(754) 224-1982 – Cellular
mmoser@coralsprings.org

Source: Coral Springs Fire Department