NASHVILLE, TN – Public safety telecommunicators utilizing APCO’s IntelliComm software can now quickly direct 9-1-1 callers during time-critical cardiac emergencies to the closest automated external defibrillator (AED). The life-saving advancement comes from the implementation of an AED geolocation plan between APCO’s IntelliComm and the PulsePoint Foundation.
The tool enables 9-1-1 telecommunicators to inform callers of the location of AEDs while using existing medical dispatch protocols within IntelliComm’s software, with no changes to workflow—saving critical time during life-threatening emergencies.
Each year in the U.S., there are approximately 360,000 Emergency Medical Services (EMS)-assessed cardiac arrests outside of a hospital and on average, less than 10 percent of victims survive. The keys to survival are early recognition, early CPR and early defibrillation. Action taken by bystanders prior to the arrival of EMS results in victims being two to three times more likely to survive.
Anyone can add an AED location to the public registry by downloading the PulsePoint AED app or by visiting the website aed.new. The AEDs are vetted by local authorities before they are shared with public safety telecommunicators or users of PulsePoint Respond, the companion app to PulsePoint AED.
The integration means public safety telecommunicators can now tell the caller the exact location of the AED—rather than ask if there’s a known AED nearby, as they had to in the past. The new integration is already being used by several emergency communications centers (ECCs), and is being integrated with Fairfield County, Ohio. Fairfield County previously won a special grant from the PulsePoint Foundation after a successful campaign that registered 238 AEDs in the community in just one month.
“APCO’s IntelliComm system equips telecommunicators with the critical information they need,” said Derek Poarch, Chief Executive Officer of APCO International. “By telling bystanders at sudden cardiac events exactly where to find an AED, telecommunicators can help save even more lives.”
“This integration is available today to any organization that uses IntelliComm,” said Richard Price, PulsePoint Foundation president. “The AED registry is a free tool, and the PulsePoint Foundation provides the app and hosted AED registry as part of its core mission to improve cardiac arrest survival.”
SOURCE: APCO and PulsePoint Foundation