PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — There’s an app that can save a life that local first responders hope you download and get trained in CPR.
Kamilla Soares was getting her nails done last year when she got the alert from her PulsePoint app.
“I got a notification on my phone that CPR was needed next door at the Publix, so I rushed over to see what we going on,” she said.
A woman was in cardiac arrest in the bathroom, so she started CPR.
“If someone gets care faster, it’s only a good thing,” said Captain Kevin Saxton from Delray Beach Fire Rescue.
In Delray Beach, their average response time is about 6 minutes. Between 5-7 minutes, the brain starts to die without oxygen.
So those few minutes before first responders can show up are critical.
“It’ll give you walking directions on how to get there,” said Division Chief Jason Stout with Boca Raton Fire Rescue.
Boca Raton connected to the PulsePoint app over the weekend.
“For every minute that goes by without CPR being done, their chance of survival goes down by 10%,” Stout said,
The app links people that can provide CPR to those that need it if you’re within a quarter mile.
“By having this application, we can bridge the gap of knowing CPR and actually applying it,” Stout said.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, Delray Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens also use it locally.
“Definitely get the app,” Soares said.
The off-duty ER paramedic for Delay Beach Medical Center received the Citizen Life Saving Award from Palm Beach Gardens fire rescue last March.
“I still see it as something I can do every day. I work in an ER. Saving lives is kind of our thing,” she said.
The alert is routed through dispatch.
It takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to earn your CPR certification, and you can train at your local fire department.
Under the Good Samaritan Act, people who provide CPR are protected from liability.
