New program in Weber, Morgan counties empowers public to assist in cardiac emergencies | News, Sports, Jobs

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Jeff Comeau demonstrates the role of a community PulsePoint responder performing CPR on a sudden cardiac arrest victim as a paramedic, at left, arrives to take over during a demonstration at the Francom Public Safety Building in Ogden on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.

Deborah Wilber, Standard Examiner

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Mike Slater, deputy fire chief of the Ogden City Fire Department, speaks Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, during a press conference announcing the launch of PulsePoint Respond. The free app is a cardiopulmonary resuscitation program and notification system empowering citizens in communities to save lives.

Deborah Wilber, Standard Examiner

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Paramedics demonstrate how they use mechanical CPR on a sudden cardiac arrest victim while preparing the patient for transport during a demonstration at the Francom Public Safety Building in Ogden on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. Jeff Comeau, standing at back left, performs CPR on the dummy before the paramedics’ arrival, simulating the role of a community PulsePoint responder.

Deborah Wilber, Standard Examiner

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Jeff Comeau demonstrates the role of a community PulsePoint responder performing CPR on a sudden cardiac arrest victim as a paramedic, at left, arrives to take over during a demonstration at the Francom Public Safety Building in Ogden on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.

Deborah Wilber, Standard Examiner

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Jeff Comeau demonstrates the role of a community PulsePoint responder performing CPR on a sudden cardiac arrest victim as a paramedic, at left, arrives to take over during a demonstration at the Francom Public Safety Building in Ogden on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.

Mike Slater, deputy fire chief of the Ogden City Fire Department, speaks Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, during a press conference announcing the launch of PulsePoint Respond. The free app is a cardiopulmonary resuscitation program and notification system empowering citizens in communities to save lives.

Paramedics demonstrate how they use mechanical CPR on a sudden cardiac arrest victim while preparing the patient for transport during a demonstration at the Francom Public Safety Building in Ogden on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. Jeff Comeau, standing at back left, performs CPR on the dummy before the paramedics’ arrival, simulating the role of a community PulsePoint responder.

Jeff Comeau demonstrates the role of a community PulsePoint responder performing CPR on a sudden cardiac arrest victim as a paramedic, at left, arrives to take over during a demonstration at the Francom Public Safety Building in Ogden on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.

OGDEN — Emergency responders throughout Weber and Morgan counties have joined the live app PulsePoint Respond, a community cardiopulmonary resuscitation program and notification system.

Marshals from fire departments throughout the two counties were joined by community partners Tuesday to officially announce the launch of the citizen response app, which has been active in the area for two weeks.

According to Mike Slater, deputy fire chief of the Ogden City Fire Department, 150 people have downloaded the free app, allowing them to connect with anyone experiencing cardiac arrest.

Killing nearly 1,000 people on any given day across the country, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of preventable death, according to PulsePoint.

During the first four to six minutes of a cardiac episode, a person’s chances of surviving decrease up to 10% for every minute CPR is not being done, Slater said. Weber County response times are within two to six minutes.

There is not a fire station on every corner, nor is there a police officer on every corner, Slater said of those who would respond in an emergency and perform CPR.

While the survivability rate of cardiac arrest victims in Weber County before reaching the hospital is well within the national average at 26%, Slater said that number is not good enough.

PulsePoint Respond helps bridge the gap by sounding an alarm on the phone of anyone with the app who is within a quarter-mile radius of the person in cardiac arrest.

Weber Area Dispatch 911 Executive Director Kevin Rose said while getting help out as soon as possible is their main priority, it’s not instantaneous.

Even though 911 dispatchers attempt to walk callers through giving CPR, Rose said those on the other side of the line, often times family members, are too traumatized and frantic by the event unfolding in front of them and often are unable to perform CPR correctly.

“They’re not listening and they’re tentative for fear of hurting their loved one,” said Brian Brendel, chief of Mountain Green Fire.

PulsePoint responders, whether off-duty medical professionals or lay persons with CPR knowledge, can respond quickly and perform life-saving measures while remaining objective until emergency services arrive.

Slater said he has no doubt the PulsePoint app will save lives with CPR being performed early and maintained continuously until cardiac arrest victims arrive at a hospital. There is no liability to those who respond to an emergency, he added.

While anyone can download the app, it is encouraged that those who do also attend a CPR class. However, if a PulsePoint user has yet to receive CPR certification, the app will teach them.

If the cardiac emergency occurs in a public place, the location-aware application will alert PulsePoint users and direct them to the victim as well as an exact location of the nearest automated external defibrillator.

Anyone in possession of a defibrillator, such as a business, can register the device by taking a photo and tagging its location with the app, which will then share the information with local fire departments in communities that are a part of the PulsePoint program.

There is a cost for communities participating in the PulsePoint program, which varies by population. Weber and Morgan counties paid a total of $20,000 to launch the program, which also has $10,000 in annual operating costs.

Through donors and sponsors, including Weber State University and Jeremy Barker, a part-time paramedic and owner of West Haven-based company Murphy Door, fire departments were not only able to pay $20,000 to get started for the year, but they also raised enough to carry them through 2023 as well.

“One life saved is well worth the cost of the app,” Slater said of PulsePoint, servicing approximately 300,000 people in both counties at no cost to citizens.

An abundance of mailers encourage citizens to get the app and potentially save a life have already been sent out in Roy.

Ogden will send out mailers sometime in January, according to Slater.

According to PulsePoint, approximately 13 million Americans are CPR trained and certified annually, yet nearly 60% of sudden cardiac arrest victims do not get CPR until professional help arrives, resulting in an 11% survival rate in the US

“Sudden cardiac arrest is not just a job for emergency responders but rather a community-based issue that requires a community-based response,” according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

The Ogden Fire Department plans on holding CPR courses throughout the county with the help of local hospitals, WSU and other emergency agencies. Dates for the courses have yet to be set.

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