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CCSO LAUNCHES

LIFESAVING SMARTPHONE APP

Could you save a life?

T he Collier County Sheriff ’s Office and its public safety partners are hoping a new stating that bystander chest compressions

smartphone application will make it easier for people in Collier County to help and use of an AED would double or triple
save lives.
“PulsePoint brings us a step closer to
PulsePoint is a free app available to Apple and Android subscribers. It takes advantage the survival from a cardiac arrest.
of citizens and off-duty professionals who are trained in CPR and also willing to assist in getting chest compressions started and
the event of an emergency. possibly getting an AED to the patient's
“This will significantly change lifesaving in Collier County by involving not only law side in the shortest period of time before
enforcement, fire/rescue and EMS, but now citizens as well,” said Collier County Sheriff first responders from police, fire and EMS
Kevin Rambosk. “We want to champion the community to do this.” arrive,” he said. “And the 911 dispatcher will
CCSO is the first public safety agency in Southwest Florida to implement the help citizen responders get this done until a
PulsePoint app. higher level of help arrives.”
The app is part of Sheriff Rambosk’s commitment to the community to reduce emergency PulsePoint is not limited to emergency
response times and is one of several initiatives implemented in the past two years. Those responders or those with official CPR
initiatives include a countywide computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, digital Internet certification. The app has a feature that
protocol-based station alerting system and computer terminals with CAD and GPS in all instructs citizens how to use an AED and
public safety vehicles to permit dispatch to the closest unit. how to perform CPR.
When there's a cardiac arrest in a public area, the app is activated via the 911 system and The app also provides users with a display
sends an alert to nearby users who have the app on their phone and can perform CPR. It of the CCSO’s active and recent incidents
also shows the location of nearby automated external defibrillators (AEDs). countywide. Users can view incidents
Citizen responders who render aid are legally protected under the Florida Good and instantly pinpoint the location on
Samaritan Act. an interactive map. Curious about where
“We appreciate the leadership of Sheriff Rambosk in his quest to use the latest the fire engine or ambulance that passed
technology to save lives,” said North Collier Fire Control and Rescue District Chief James is headed? Is there an accident up ahead
Cunningham. “This app is the first step to rapidly providing CPR and an AED in situations causing this traffic tie-up? Just tap the app
where seconds mean the difference between life and death.” to quickly find the incident location or plan
More than 350,000 people each year experience out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest; an alternate route.
only 12 percent survive, according to the American Heart Association. The PulsePoint app is available for
"The time from a patient collapsing in cardiac arrest to receiving life-saving chest iPhone and Android and can be downloaded
compressions followed by a defibrillatory shock is an absolutely critical few minutes,” said from the iTunes Store and Google Play.
Collier County Emergency Medical Services Director Dr. Robert Tober. For more information about the
Dr. Tober cited an article published June 11, 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine PulsePoint App visit www.pulsepoint.org.

96 Life in Naples | January 2017