PulsePoint CPR

LanceCorpsman

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Does anybody on this page live in a city with the PulsePoint bystander notification app? Has it worked well in your city? Have you ever responded to a code while off duty because of this app? And while on duty, have you encountered anybody who was on scene because of it? Just curious because in my area, EMS response times are horrid.
 

BobBarker

Forum Lieutenant
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Does anybody on this page live in a city with the PulsePoint bystander notification app? Has it worked well in your city? Have you ever responded to a code while off duty because of this app? And while on duty, have you encountered anybody who was on scene because of it? Just curious because in my area, EMS response times are horrid.
I do, in Los Angeles and although I haven't heard much regarding using it for CPR/Arrests, I think it's awesome. After having it for almost a year now, I got my first notification for CPR and by the time I got there 3 minutes later LAFD was already on scene. The good thing about the app is that even if the person who downloaded it doesn't know CPR, it will show you how to do it, it has a compression timer and also the nearest availability of an AED if available. You can also set it up to alert you when there is a structure fire, car accident or other significant event nearby.
 
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LanceCorpsman

LanceCorpsman

Forum Lieutenant
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I do, in Los Angeles and although I haven't heard much regarding using it for CPR/Arrests, I think it's awesome. After having it for almost a year now, I got my first notification for CPR and by the time I got there 3 minutes later LAFD was already on scene. The good thing about the app is that even if the person who downloaded it doesn't know CPR, it will show you how to do it, it has a compression timer and also the nearest availability of an AED if available. You can also set it up to alert you when there is a structure fire, car accident or other significant event nearby.

For notifications other than CPR for like wrecks and fires, I assume you have to be affiliated with the local agency correct?
 

gotbeerz001

Forum Deputy Chief
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For notifications other than CPR for like wrecks and fires, I assume you have to be affiliated with the local agency correct?
If you randomly keep appearing at fires, the prevention/investigation dept may take notice [emoji51]


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Summit

Critical Crazy
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For notifications other than CPR for like wrecks and fires, I assume you have to be affiliated with the local agency correct?
The purpose of PulsePoint is to facilitate bystander CPR.
 

VentMonkey

Family Guy
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Does anybody on this page live in a city with the PulsePoint bystander notification app? Has it worked well in your city? Have you ever responded to a code while off duty because of this app? And while on duty, have you encountered anybody who was on scene because of it? Just curious because in my area, EMS response times are horrid.
1. We have the PulsePoint app in our city.

2. I have no clue how well it has or hasn't worked in our area.

3. I have not. Short of something happening directly in front of me, it's not my business. There will be plenty of "bystanders" trying this "cool app" on the patient with pulses until said EMS/ fire agency arrives, but I digress...

4. Reference No. #3, but no I haven't because of the app.
 

NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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I have the pulse point app, and a few months ago got a notification for CPR in an office around the corner from me in the same complex. I went to the scene and medics were already there. I turned around and left.

Had there NOT been medics there, I would have stayed and done CPR. It's the right thing to do. When the medics arrived, I would have left. That's also the right thing to do.

If we get more bystander CPR, we'll improve SCA survival.
 

VentMonkey

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Had there NOT been medics there, I would have stayed and done CPR. It's the right thing to do. When the medics arrived, I would have left. That's also the right thing to do.

If we get more bystander CPR, we'll improve SCA survival.
This op, is true. Effective high quality chest compressions, and early defib clearly work wonders over "Advanced Life Support" measures in the prehospital setting, just try and stand back when asked, or when you feel compelled to if/ when you stumble across a SCA. But, should you be the "first responder" to the patient by all means highly compress the chest away...just make sure someone has called for help.
 

ronbach

Forum Ride Along
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I think that the flaw in this app is that it only notifies you once EMS has already been contacted. I dont want to say its not worth the effort to respond but at some point the time it takes you to walk down the street is greater then the time it takes for EMS to respond.

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NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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I think that the flaw in this app is that it only notifies you once EMS has already been contacted. I dont want to say its not worth the effort to respond but at some point the time it takes you to walk down the street is greater then the time it takes for EMS to respond.

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Not true. I’m guessing you haven’t worked anywhere there are large office buildings or complexes. I worked in a 30 story building in Seattle, and I guarantee that I could be anywhere in that building at least 5 minutes before EMS arrived.

The same thing with any large condo complex or manufacturing facility. This just makes good sense.
 

ronbach

Forum Ride Along
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Not true. I’m guessing you haven’t worked anywhere there are large office buildings or complexes. I worked in a 30 story building in Seattle, and I guarantee that I could be anywhere in that building at least 5 minutes before EMS arrived.

The same thing with any large condo complex or manufacturing facility. This just makes good sense.
I totally agree with you. However in the examples people had above they stated they walked down the street. If your response times will beat EMS by all means respond. But by using the app you already know EMS is in route.

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BobBarker

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For notifications other than CPR for like wrecks and fires, I assume you have to be affiliated with the local agency correct?
No you don't have to be, you can actually see most calls. It will only give you the exact addresses for structure fires and CPR. See the attached picture for what it looks like on my phone in LAFD jurisdiction
 

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Tigger

Dodges Pucks
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No you don't have to be, you can actually see most calls. It will only give you the exact addresses for structure fires and CPR. See the attached picture for what it looks like on my phone in LAFD jurisdiction
Why does it notify for structure fires? That seems like some bad juju.

We don't have it in my city but I am not opposed to it for cardiac arrests. I think that's the only call I am ok with it for. Maybe life threatening hemorrhage, but how do we figure out that's what it is and what will a bystander do with nothing to stop it?
 

NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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IMG_5464.PNG
Where I am, in Savannah, it will only notify you for cardiac arrests. You can look at the ongoing dispatch for very vague information on other calls.

I think it's a great idea. Through geofencing, It only notifies bystanders if the cardiac arrest call is in a public place and if people are within a very short distance.
 

BobBarker

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Why does it notify for structure fires? That seems like some bad juju.

We don't have it in my city but I am not opposed to it for cardiac arrests. I think that's the only call I am ok with it for. Maybe life threatening hemorrhage, but how do we figure out that's what it is and what will a bystander do with nothing to stop it?
It only notifies you on your phone if you set it up in the app like that. However, at any time you can click on the app and it will tell you current calls(structure fires, accidents, medicals) for the area you are in or the area you subscribed to. I don't know the exact reasoning for it, but it is pretty useful. It's basically a computer converting what you hear on the scanner/radio onto an app. The news, bystanders and other agencies use it also to know what's going on.
 

VentMonkey

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The news, bystanders and other agencies use it also to know what's going on.
Overall, I agree this does sound like a promising app. That being said, the caveat I see would be multiple (useless) resources, and/ or "looky-loo's" converging on one poor soul simply just to "bear witness", perhaps a bit cynical, though again, there is no denying the importance of early CPR.

It would be interesting to see where PulsePoint is in relation to SCA, and survival rates (hmmm, perhaps someone should write a research piece?...o_O).

I don't understand the need to respond to structure fires, and/ or car wrecks with every push notification, but perhaps @LanceCorpsman would like to elaborate, or provide justification?
 

NysEms2117

ex-Parole officer/EMT
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You also have to have your Dispatch center register to use it. Albany for example does not.
 

Jim37F

Forum Deputy Chief
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LA County Fire has been promoting it...a few of their stations even have a big Pulse Point banner outside of their station.

I've never gotten a CPR needed notification, even when I can hear some of our units get dispatched to cardiac arrests....though the app may have assumed I'm too far away to warrant a notification...?

And you do not need to be affiliated to get push notifications for things like structure fires or traffic collisions (though if you follow multiple agencies you can't pick and choose...say I choose to set up notifications for TCs, I can't just do so for the LACo division I'm in, I'll get those notifications for every agency I follow)

The app doesn't give out exact street addresses for routine medical calls......but you can still pull up a map to see where they're dispatched to, even pull up directions on Google Maps if you want....though there's a delay, we'll already be dispatched and enroute most of the time before a call appears on the app so we can't just use it as a mini MCT lol (plus it doesn't give out any details beyond "Medical Emergency" or "Traffic Collision" or whatever and then list which units have been dispatched) (you'll get more details just listening in on a scanner....which incidentally the app can stream a scanner of the agency you're following..if supported (i.e. I can listen to LAFDs scanner through Pulse Point, but not Las Vegas FDs)

ALL in all, it's an interesting app. Because I work for a company that responds with LACo I find it useful to get a quick look at what's going on in my system
 

BobBarker

Forum Lieutenant
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Overall, I agree this does sound like a promising app. That being said, the caveat I see would be multiple (useless) resources, and/ or "looky-loo's" converging on one poor soul simply just to "bear witness", perhaps a bit cynical, though again, there is no denying the importance of early CPR.

It would be interesting to see where PulsePoint is in relation to SCA, and survival rates (hmmm, perhaps someone should write a research piece?...o_O).

I don't understand the need to respond to structure fires, and/ or car wrecks with every push notification, but perhaps @LanceCorpsman would like to elaborate, or provide justification?
There is no point to respond to a Structure Fire or accident unless you are a first responder or are in the area and are able to provide assistance prior to FD arrival. Each agency can allow the app to show what it wants and both LAFD and LA County Fire has allowed the app to show all calls and alert all usera of CPR if they are nearby. It is cool to know why there are 4 fire trucks are flying past you when your not on duty :)
 
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