Kent accepts donation from University Hospitals for new PulsePoint app, other CPR equipment

Above is a podcast about this story. A transcribed version of it is available as well.

The city of Kent’s fire department has recently accepted an 18,000 dollar donation on behalf of University Hospitals (UH), for new equipment and fees to help install a new city wide app to help prevent and assist in cardiac emergencies: PulsePoint.

PulsePoint is a new and free downloadable app for tablets and smartphones which is catching on in hundreds of cities around the country. The innovative app uses peoples’ location technology in their phones to link average citizens who are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an automated external defibrillator (AED), to other nearby citizens who might be in a state of emergency due to cardiac issues.

Once implemented, Kent will be the only city in the Akron area with this new technology.

Kent Fire Chief John Tosko said that “every minute counts in these situations.” PulsePoint.org has research stating that every day there are at least 1000 cardiac emergencies nation wide.

“We’re pretty quick, we can get there pretty quick,” Tosko said about their emergency services. “But if we can get someone there a minute earlier that can really make a difference.” Every minute a person goes without treatment, their chances of survival decreases by 10 percent according to PulsePoint.

The PulsePoint software will pair with a city’s dispatch system, to alert any certified users within a 1,200 foot radius of an emergency with information such as: what that emergency is, what care that individual might need, where nearby equipment is located, extra care guides and instructions, and alerts which inform where actual emergency responders are in relation to the individual.

“Just one life is worth it,” Roger Sidoti, Kent city council-at-large said.

Kent city council unanimously agreed to accept these donations. Tosko mentioned however, that their will be an additional 5,000 dollars which needs to be raised before they can completely convert the cities emergency dispatch interface to work with the PulsePoint technology.

Tosko aims to do a bit more fundraising to meet their mark, before completely connecting Kent with the app by either June or July of this summer.

Additionally, Tosko will be looking to partner further with the city, as well as the university, to help raise cardiac emergency awareness and teach the basic techniques involved in preforming CPR and using an AED.

University Hospitals is also looking to donate Lucas machines to the Kent’s emergency services as well. These machines are useful in performing effective CPR in an ambulance while on route to the hospital.