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Mayor Muriel Bowser plans to announce on Thursday two new tools that District residents can use to combat one of the leading causes of death in the country, according to a release.
When someone is suffering from a cardiac arrest, Pulsepoint and Atrus can be used respectively to find the closest CPR-trained individual and defibrillator.
A 911 dispatcher can activate the Pulsepoint app when someone is in need of CPR. A person near the scene who has downloaded the app will receive a message in order to find the victim and administer CPR until first responders arrive.
The app is also available in Prince George’s and Howard counties in Maryland and William County in Virginia. Security guards use the tool at the MGM National Harbor, where two lives have been saved, according to NBC Washington. A man also credits a stranger for saving his life in Howard County last year.
911 dispatchers will use Atrus to tell callers where to find the nearest automated external defibrillator (AED), a battery-operated device that shocks a person in cardiac arrest. People who own AEDs are encouraged to register their devices with the D.C. fire department and via the AED Registry.
More than 350,000 people in the U.S. experience sudden cardiac arrest each year and 95 percent of them die as a result, according to the American Heart Association. But survival rates increase by as much as 50 percent when people receive CPR within the first five minutes of collapsing and get professional care.
Last year, D.C. Fire and EMS put private ambulances on the road and hired more call takers and dispatchers to decrease response times. The city has also offered free CPR and first aide training classes to residents.